Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – #Italian Cookery with Silvia Todesco – Simply Delicious Tomato and Basil Salad

Welcome to the Italian Cookery column with Silvia Todesco, and this month a wonderfully vibrant fresh tomato salad.

Simply Delicious Tomato and Basil Salad

Hi everyone! Yes! It’s summer and many of you have some very sunny weather. Oh Lord, it seems impossible that even your appetite can be jeopardize by the extremely high temperatures!

Of course Italians have their ways to make you hungry even if you are hot 😉 and this salad is the perfect example of a light meal full of taste and vitamins and at the same time very refreshing: in other words, perfect as a light lunch or side dish. Not to mention that it’s so colorful and bright that it will light up your table and be perfect also as appetizer or side dish during a cook out! Grab some tomatoes, capers, green olives, red onions, fresh basil and Italian dressing, and your colorful salad is ready! For this recipe you don’t need quantities… just fill your plate with sliced tomatoes (better if the heirloom kind) as much as you want and decorate it with the other ingredients… I hope you will like it as much as I do!

Ingredients

• ripe heirloom tomatoes
• green olives (deprived of their water)
• capers (deprived of their water)
• fresh basil
• sea salt to taste
• olive oil to taste
• a sprinkle of red wine vinegar
• finely sliced red onion
• optional: black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Wash the tomatoes, take away the stem and slice them 1/4″ thick.
2. Arrange the tomatoes nicely in a dish, and spread on top the red onions first, then the capers, green olives, and basil.
3. Dust with a pinch of sea salt (and black pepper if you’d like), sprinkle with red wine vinegar, “give it a round” of extravergin olive oil and serve it!

It’s impressive how such a simple dish it’s so delicious!

LEARNT IT, MADE IT, LOVE IT!

TIPS: –

• If you don’t like the idea of a vegetarian salad, you can pair this dish with hard boiled eggs or tuna in olive oil… it would turn even better!
• This salad can be prepared all year long but of course it’s better if made during the tomatoes season… seasonal produce always have a better taste!

How about you? Do you have a favorite summer salad that you like to enjoy in the most hot days? Please, feel free to let me know you thoughts by leaving a comment… I really enjoy learning others tastes and recipes!

If you live in the QUAD CITIES AREA (Iowa, USA) you can order desserts from Silivia from her Italian Home Bakery

My thanks to Silvia for another delicious recipe, and it would be great if you would share your feedback and the post for others to enjoy and subscribe to Italian Goodness if you would like to receive a new recipe each week for free.

About Silvia Todesco

I’m Silvia, I come from Veneto Region (from Bassano del Grappa precisely, one hour by car far from Venice), and I moved to Iowa in 2011, because of my husband’s job necessities.

I’ve grown up watching my great-grandmother, my grandmother, and my mother cooking for my family every day, searching carefully for ingredients and preparing fresh food. That was their way to show us how much they cared (and care) about us, and to carry on a tradition. I cannot recall a festivity without relatives everywhere and tons of delicious food to eat!

But my way was different I graduated with honors at the University of Law of Padua, and (obviously) I became a lawyer. As a professional, I used to work 14 hours a day, and, of course, the time I could dedicate to my family (and cooking) was almost none.

Then fate brought us here, and finally I’ve found myself. All my background came up, and I realized that taking care of my family is the most satisfying job I could do, especially because it entails cooking healthy and good food!

So I started to practice what I learned when I was young, and surprised myself in making all those meals that characterized my youth.

Integration in a new society is not easy, but it was nice for us to discover how much Italians are loved abroad! And since every new person we have met asked me if I was a good cook, and told me that they love Italian food, well, I decided to share my Italian cooking culture and recipes with you!

Of course, you won’t need to be an expert to follow my recipes! What I’m writing about is our daily menus- recipes made with simple and few ingredients, most of the time cheap and healthy (because the food is not processed).

Plus, considering my passion for cooking, I will also share with you new recipe I discovered in magazines, websites, or shared by friends, and in this case I will always describe you the origin of my posts objects.

In addition, I promise not only to write about Italian food, but especially to give suggestions related to where and how to find the right ingredients and tools you will need. I really hope that you will enjoy my tips!

Connect to Silvia

Website: Italian Goodness
Facebook: Italian Goodness Facebook
Instagram: Beauty and Four Kids
Twitter: @silviatodesco81
Pinterest: Silvia Todesco

You can find all the recipes for a four course Italian meal in this file and also Silvia’s monthly posts. Italian Cookery with Silvia Todesco

Thanks for dropping in and I hope you will enjoy making this simple but delicious summer recipe.. thanks Sally.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Christmas – Italian Cookery with Silvia Todesco – Italian Cantucci Biscotti – Christmas Cookies

If you are looking for a different kind of Christmas cookie this year then these Cantucci Biscotti from Silvia Todesco look amazing… and if memory serves me right, dipping them in your coffee or hot chocolate adds to their deliciousness…

Italian Cantucci Biscotti – Christmas Cookies

Maybe you already read my latest post, and you are a bit curious about which kind of cookies I brought to the cookie exchange in my neighborhood…. or maybe you are just looking for a special Christmas cookie recipe to amaze your friends, or just looking for a cheap and easy idea for fancy Christmas gifts. Well, in any case you are reading the right post! I’m going to share with you the recipe of “Cantucci” cookies, which are very popular Italian cookies that Americans commonly call “biscotti” without knowing that in Italy every kind of cookie is called “biscotti”, and then every different kind of “biscotti” has special name (for example: “savoiardi“; “pan di stelle“; “amaretti“; “lingue di gatto“; “brutti ma buoni” etc. etc.). Cantucci are twice-baked biscuits originating in the Italian city of Prato (Tuscany). They are oblong-shaped almond biscuits, made dry and crunchy by cutting the loaf of dough while it’s still warm and fresh from the oven. I love to personalize them with different versions, like with almonds and raisins, or with almonds and chocolate drops. Since they look very nice and their taste is absolutely delicious, I’m preparing many cute cookies jar to give away to my friends as edible Christmas gifts!

Ingredients for 50/60 biscuits

• 14 oz. (450 gr.) unpeeled baked almonds
• 4 whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk
• 1 pinch of sea salt
• 1 and 1/4 cup (300 gr.) sugar
• 1 stick (100 gr.) unsalted butter
• 28 oz. (about 3 and 1/2 cups or 600 gr.) all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda + 1 tbs. apple vinegar OR 2 tbs. (8 gr.) baking powder
• 1 egg to brush on the loaves before baking
• For the version with raisins use 6 oz. (200 gr.) raisins and 8 oz. (250 gr.) almonds;
• For the version with chocolate drops use 8 oz. (225. gr) chocolate drop and 8 oz. (225 gr. almonds)

Directions

If you don’t have roasted almonds, just put your almonds in the oven for 5 minutes at 375 degrees, and then let them cooled off. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and the yolk with a pinch of salt and the sugar until they become white and fluffy.

Then melt the butter and mix it with the eggs and sugar.

Next sift the flour and add it gently to the mix.

Add the almonds (or the almonds with the raisins, or the almonds with the chocolate) to the mix and stir gently.

Then, at last, mix the baking soda with the apple vinegar and then add it to the dough, again stirring gently. Another option is add to the batter 16 gr. baking powder.

Place the dough on a floured surface, and make 3 or 4 loaves.

Place the loaves on one or two baking sheets, lined with parchment. Remember that they will raise a bit so place them at a reasonable distance, and brush them with a beaten egg.

Bake at 375 F (190 C.) for about 20 minutes in the middle rack of your oven (since my oven is stronger at the bottom than at the top, after the first fifteen minutes, I usually flip the loaves upside down to brown them evenly).

After the 20 minutes, take the loaves out of the oven, wait 2-3 minutes until they cool off a little, and then cut they in oblong slices.

Place the obtained biscuits back in the oven for 15 more minutes at 340 F (170 C.).

And you are done!

LEARNT IT, MADE IT, LOVED IT!

Tips: – Wait until the biscuits are completely cooled off before serving.

– Cantucci (especially the “just almonds” version) are particularly crunchy, this is why in Italy they are served with a liquor (wine) called “Vin Santo“, and people enjoy them dipping Cantucci in this sweet liquor. I love eating them just like this, but they are delicious dunked in coffee or cappuccino or tea or (oh my goodness this could be really dangerous 😉 ) in hot chocolate!

– If you go for the version with raisins, remember to soak the raisins in warm water for at least one hour before mixing them into the dough.

– If you store Cantucci in a tin or a glass jar they can last a month.

It would really make me feel proud knowing you intend to try this Biscotti Recipe as Christmas treats…

My thanks to Silvia for another delicious recipe, and it would be great if you would share your feedback and the post for others to enjoy and subscribe to Italian Goodness if you would like to receive a new recipe each week for free.

About Silvia Todesco

I’m Silvia, I come from Veneto Region (from Bassano del Grappa precisely, one hour by car far from Venice), and I moved to Iowa in 2011, because of my husband’s job necessities.

I’ve grown up watching my great-grandmother, my grandmother, and my mother cooking for my family every day, searching carefully for ingredients and preparing fresh food. That was their way to show us how much they cared (and care) about us, and to carry on a tradition. I cannot recall a festivity without relatives everywhere and tons of delicious food to eat!

But my way was different I graduated with honors at the University of Law of Padua, and (obviously) I became a lawyer. As a professional, I used to work 14 hours a day, and, of course, the time I could dedicate to my family (and cooking) was almost none.

Then fate brought us here, and finally I’ve found myself. All my background came up, and I realized that taking care of my family is the most satisfying job I could do, especially because it entails cooking healthy and good food!

So I started to practice what I learned when I was young, and surprised myself in making all those meals that characterized my youth.

Integration in a new society is not easy, but it was nice for us to discover how much Italians are loved abroad! And since every new person we have met asked me if I was a good cook, and told me that they love Italian food, well, I decided to share my Italian cooking culture and recipes with you!

Of course, you won’t need to be an expert to follow my recipes! What I’m writing about is our daily menus- recipes made with simple and few ingredients, most of the time cheap and healthy (because the food is not processed).

Plus, considering my passion for cooking, I will also share with you new recipe I discovered in magazines, websites, or shared by friends, and in this case I will always describe you the origin of my posts objects.

In addition, I promise not only to write about Italian food, but especially to give suggestions related to where and how to find the right ingredients and tools you will need. I really hope that you will enjoy my tips!

Connect to Silvia

Website: https://italiangoodness.net/about/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/italiangoodness.net
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautyandfourkids/
Mix: https://mix.com/silviatodesco81
Twitter: https://twitter.com/silviatodesco81
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.it/silviatodesco/

You can find all the recipes for a four course Italian meal in this file and also Silvia’s monthly posts. https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/italian-cookery-with-silvia-todesco/

Thanks again for dropping by and as always your feedback and sharing of the post is very welcome… Sally.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – Italian Cookery with Silvia Todesco – Ricotta, almonds and amaretti tart: surprise your family with a new Thanksgiving dessert!

There is no doubt that whilst the turkey is the king of the Thanksgiving dinner, dessert is also looked forward to with pleasure. This month, Silvia Todesco shares this delicious Ricotta, Almonds and Amaretti tart – wow… what a way to finish off this special annual feast.

One of the many things that surprised me the most when we moved to USA was (and still does!) noticing how much Americans generally loves creamy, super sweet, frosted colorful cakes and cupcakes, simple sponge cakes’ bases literally buried in butter cream, frosting, icing, or whatever… the only exception of this rule I found living here is on Thanksgiving day: the most typical pies served on this occasion are usually “dry”, not too much sweet and very aromatic. Of course, I am talking about pecan pie, pumpkin pie, apple pie, sweet potato pie. Today I would like to share with you a new pie recipe that is dry, not too much sweet and slightly aromatic that could suit a Thanksgiving meal with an Italian touch! Also, on a practical side, Thanksgiving is always an holiday where you want to have everything perfect, and possibly prepared in advance to be able to enjoy your family, and this tart suites perfectly this necessities since it is absolutely easy to be prepared, it takes very little “hands-on” time, and if prepared a day ahead it tastes even

f you have been following me you should know that Amaretti are common Italian pastry biscuits, made mainly with almonds, egg whites and sugar. I’ve already posted a few phenomenal dessert recipes with Amaretti (Amaretti & Rum tiramisu, Dame’s kisses, Meringata), and if you have liked their special taste, you have to try even this tart! Almonds and Amaretti taste very good combined with ricotta cheese and the crumble base is always a win/win: super easy to make and delicious! Concluding, if you are wondering where you could find Amaretti (besides on the web) I would say that they always keep a few packages (especially close to the winter festivities) at Tuesday Morning, at TJ MAX, at Schnucks. Their expiration date is usually pretty far away so when I find them I usually buy a good bunch!

Ingredients for a 10″ springform round pan

For the pastry

• 1 stick unsalted butter (100 gr.)
• 1/2 cup sugar (100 gr.)
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp. almond extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour (300 gr.)
• 2 tps. baking powder (16 gr.)

For the filling

• 7 oz. (1 package) Amaretti cookies (200 gr.)
• 15 oz. ricotta (whole or part skim) – (425 gr.)
• 1 egg
• 1/3 unsalted almond (50 gr.)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 gr.)

Directions

In a food processor mix together ricotta cheese, Amaretti, egg, almonds and sugar. You will obtain a velvety and dense cream (absolutely good to be eaten raw!).

In a bowl, combine butter, almond extract and sugar first until they are very well mixed. Then the egg and keep stirring. Add the flour sifted with the baking powder. Stir until the egg, butter and sugar have been absorbed into the flour and the mixture has a crumble texture.

The mixture will be lumpy and that is right and normal. To arrange the tart, butter the springpan and sprinkle with flour. Spoon 3/4 of the crumby dough mixture into the prepard pan and keep the rest to decorate the top of the pie. Spread the dough evenly (you can even use your fingers) completely covering the bottom of the pan. Be sure to press the dough up the sides of the pan at least 1/4 inch to contain the ricotta cream while it bakes and to apply some holes to the dough by using the tips of a fork.

Pour the ricotta cream on top of the firmed crust and crumble the remaining dough on top of the cream. If you like, you can decorate the sides of the cake, again using the tips of a fork. Bake at 365 F. (180 C.) for about 40-45 minutes. It will be done when the crust gets golden and the ricotta cream changes color.

Let the cake cool off before taking it out of the spring pan to avoid breaking it and wait to serve at room temperature.

LEARNT IT, MADE IT, LOVED IT!

TIPS: – I don’t know if it has ever happened to you but occasionally I forget a package of ricotta cheese in the very back of the refrigerator, only to find it once it’s already expired. If the ricotta hasn’t really got bad yet, but you don’t trust eating it raw, make this tart and you will avoid the food-waste guilt and you’ll be guaranteed a delicious outcome!

If you want to make a less fat tart, you can use part skim ricotta cheese: you won’t even notice the difference!

My thanks to Silvia and it would be great if you would share your feedback and the post for others to enjoy and subscribe to Italian Goodness if you would like to receive a new recipe each week for free.

About Silvia Todesco

I’m Silvia, I come from Veneto Region (from Bassano del Grappa precisely, one hour by car far from Venice), and I moved to Iowa in 2011, because of my husband’s job necessities.

I’ve grown up watching my great-grandmother, my grandmother, and my mother cooking for my family every day, searching carefully for ingredients and preparing fresh food. That was their way to show us how much they cared (and care) about us, and to carry on a tradition. I cannot recall a festivity without relatives everywhere and tons of delicious food to eat!

But my way was different I graduated with honors at the University of Law of Padua, and (obviously) I became a lawyer. As a professional, I used to work 14 hours a day, and, of course, the time I could dedicate to my family (and cooking) was almost none.

Then fate brought us here, and finally I’ve found myself. All my background came up, and I realized that taking care of my family is the most satisfying job I could do, especially because it entails cooking healthy and good food!

So I started to practice what I learned when I was young, and surprised myself in making all those meals that characterized my youth.

Integration in a new society is not easy, but it was nice for us to discover how much Italians are loved abroad! And since every new person we have met asked me if I was a good cook, and told me that they love Italian food, well, I decided to share my Italian cooking culture and recipes with you!

Of course, you won’t need to be an expert to follow my recipes! What I’m writing about is our daily menus- recipes made with simple and few ingredients, most of the time cheap and healthy (because the food is not processed).

Plus, considering my passion for cooking, I will also share with you new recipe I discovered in magazines, websites, or shared by friends, and in this case I will always describe you the origin of my posts objects.

In addition, I promise not only to write about Italian food, but especially to give suggestions related to where and how to find the right ingredients and tools you will need. I really hope that you will enjoy my tips!

Connect to Silvia

Website: https://italiangoodness.net/about/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/italiangoodness.net
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautyandfourkids/
Mix: https://mix.com/silviatodesco81
Twitter: https://twitter.com/silviatodesco81
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.it/silviatodesco/

You can find all the recipes for a four course Italian meal in this file and also Silvia’s monthly posts. https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/italian-cookery-with-silvia-todesco/

Thanks again for dropping by and as always your feedback and sharing of the post is very welcome… Sally.

 

 

 

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine- #ItalianCookery with Silvia Todesco – Summer: Italian Flag Colors Sandwich: an impressive appetizer! by Silvia Todesco

Delighted that Silvia Todesco will be joining us each month to share one of her delicious Italian recipes.  This month a sandwich with the colours of sunshine and Italy. As an appetizer or as a light lunch, this will be a family pleaser.

Italian Flag Colors Sandwich: an impressive appetizer! by Silvia Todesco

As much as I like cooking, I love parties even more! Unfortunately, it is uncomfortable going to parties at someone else’s house if you have young kids to bring along. And sometimes, those same young kids also makes it difficult to prepare really delicious food for friends you might invite over to your house. So, I have found that the alternative to becoming an hermit until your youngest kid reaches an appropriate age, is to have an arsenal of recipes that you can make in advance, and that also look and taste amazing. That is why I LOVE this recipe!

This is a really, really fancy and tasty appetizer, which can be prepared even a couple of days in advance, and will make a buffet absolutely attractive and colorful: the “Italian Flag Colors Sandwich.” With just a few easy ingredients- like white and whole wheat bread, cream cheese, ricotta cheese, tomato sauce, some herbs, and a slice of salmon- you can create this impressive loaf of deliciousness!

This recipe doesn’t belong to my family tradition, but instead comes from one of my favorite Italian Food Websites (Giallo Zafferano), and since I really like this different way to arrange a sandwich, I made some modifications, I translated the quantities for you, and, of course, as usual I’m showing you how I make it step by step!

Please, give this sandwich a shot… you (and your family and friends) will love it!

Ingredients for a loaf pan size sandwich

• 1 bag white bread
• 1 bag whole wheat bread
• 1 slice frozen or fresh salmon
• 2 to 3 tbs. tomato sauce (better if concentrated)
• 9 oz. cream cheese for herbs sauce
• 5 oz. ricotta cheese for salmon sauce
• 7 oz. ricotta cheese for pesto sauce
• 5 oz. Genovese pesto
• 2 tbs. thyme (better fresh)
• 2 tbs. parsley (the Italian one, better fresh)
• 2 tbs. chives (better fresh)
• salt

Directions

For the “herbs sauce”

Chop chives, parsley and thyme as thin as you can and mix it very well with 9 oz. cream cheese. Save this herbed cream cheese for later.

Do not rinse the food processor, and go ahead and use it for the next sauce.

For the salmon sauce

Boil the salmon in half a inch of water. In the food processor combine the salmon with sea salt (to taste) and two tbs. of tomato sauce (better if concentrated) and 5 oz. ricotta cheese. Keep the sauce apart for later.

For the “pesto sauce”

Combine the 5 oz. pesto with 7 oz. ricotta cheese and stir very well until smooth. Keep this sauce, in few minutes you will use it!

To arrange the sandwich:

Once you are done preparing the sauces, you are ready to build up the sandwich.

Cover the loaf pan with abundantly plastic wrap (once the sandwich loaf is assembled, you will need the extra plastic to wrap it up).

Remove the crust from the loaves of bread. Then cover the bottom of the pan with several slices of whole wheat bread. Spread the salmon sauce evenly over the top.

Now is the turn of the white bread. After removing the crust, make a layer with this one and spread evenly the herbed cream cheese.

Now again make another whole wheat bread (no crust) layer and cover it with the pesto sauce.

Finish your loaf by covering with a layer of white bread.

Fold the plastic wrap over the top of the loaf and let it rest in the coolest part of your refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving, or not more that a half-hour in the freezer.

Before serving, flip the loaf onto a cutting board, and cut it into 1/2 inch slices using a very sharp serrated knife.

If you like, arrange it in a nice tray and ENJOY!!!!

LEARN IT, MADE IT, LOVED IT!

TIPS:

1. If kept refrigerated this sandwich loaf can last up to 4 or 5 days.
2. Serve the sandwich slices still cool.
3. This sandwich variation could be a fun way to entice your kids to eat salmon, as well as an excellent addition to your lunch box menu!
4. If you have leftovers, keep them refrigerated and enjoy later!

© Silvia Todesco 2019

I really hope you like this recipe, and please, if you do, share it, like it, leave a comment, and subscribe to my blog if you would like to receive a new recipe each week for free.

About Silvia Todesco

I’m Silvia, I come from Veneto Region (from Bassano del Grappa precisely, one hour by car far from Venice), and I moved to Iowa in 2011, because of my husband’s job necessities.

I’ve grown up watching my great-grandmother, my grandmother, and my mother cooking for my family every day, searching carefully for ingredients and preparing fresh food. That was their way to show us how much they cared (and care) about us, and to carry on a tradition. I cannot recall a festivity without relatives everywhere and tons of delicious food to eat!

But my way was different I graduated with honors at the University of Law of Padua, and (obviously) I became a lawyer. As a professional, I used to work 14 hours a day, and, of course, the time I could dedicate to my family (and cooking) was almost none.

Then fate brought us here, and finally I’ve found myself. All my background came up, and I realized that taking care of my family is the most satisfying job I could do, especially because it entails cooking healthy and good food!

So I started to practice what I learned when I was young, and surprised myself in making all those meals that characterized my youth.

Integration in a new society is not easy, but it was nice for us to discover how much Italians are loved abroad! And since every new person we have met asked me if I was a good cook, and told me that they love Italian food, well, I decided to share my Italian cooking culture and recipes with you!

Of course, you won’t need to be an expert to follow my recipes! What I’m writing about is our daily menus- recipes made with simple and few ingredients, most of the time cheap and healthy (because the food is not processed).

Plus, considering my passion for cooking, I will also share with you new recipe I discovered in magazines, websites, or shared by friends, and in this case I will always describe you the origin of my posts objects.

In addition, I promise not only to write about Italian food, but especially to give suggestions related to where and how to find the right ingredients and tools you will need. I really hope that you will enjoy my tips!

Connect to Silvia

Website: https://italiangoodness.net/about/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/italiangoodness.net
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautyandfourkids/
Mix: https://mix.com/silviatodesco81
Twitter: https://twitter.com/silviatodesco81
Pinterest: www.pinterest.it/silviatodesco/

Silvia would love to receive your comments and it would be great if you could share the post.. thanks Sally.

You can find all the recipes for a four course Italian meal in this file and also Silvia’s monthly posts. https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/italian-cookery-with-silvia-todesco/

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine- #ItalianCookery with Silvia Todesco – Summer: Classic Rice Salad (Insalata de Riso)

Delighted that Silvia Todesco will be joining us each month to share one of her delicious Italian recipes.  We begin a series of summer themed recipes, beginning with the classic rice salad….

Summer: Classic Rice Salad (Insalata de Riso)

I would say, without question, that Rice Salad (“Insalata di Riso”) is the Summer Italian Classic – as much as “Italian meatballs” are a Winter Italian Classic! Every Italian, from Sicily to the North of Italy, knows what an Insalata di Riso is, and all cook it in the same way (with maybe a few exceptions due to the local products of the various Regions). It is a fresh dish, super easy to prepare, and able to be prepared ahead of time. A rice salad would never be missing from any Italian summer party or picnic.

As any other rice salad, this dish is composed of a base of boiled white rice, enriched with meat (frankfurters and ham), fish (tuna), veggies (pickled, fresh, or frozen), eggs, and cheese. Very quick to prepare, perfect for picnics or lunch boxes (as is the tuna and lemon pasta salad) and particularly suitable for parties (as much as “Tartine“) not only because it can be served cool, but especially because it looks colorful and tempting.

As for all the ingredients that this salad needs, I usually make a big bowl of it, so we can consume it during all the week, and my husband loves it because is the perfect alternative to a sandwich to be eaten for lunch at the office.

Even though I usually try to be very precise with the quantities, I would suggest you make this salad by adjusting the ingredients according to your individual tastes (I mean, if you don’t like tuna, you can skip it, and add more ham instead, or viceversa). I will try to give you an idea of how I make it, using pictures, and approximate quantities.

Ingredients for a big bowl

• 3 cups white rice cooked “al dente”
• 6-8 frankfurters
• 2 big cans tuna in oil
• 1 small pack ham cubes
• 1 small pack frozen peas, boiled
• 1 jar Italian mix giardiniera
• 1 handful cappers
• 1 cup green olives chopped
• half jar cocktail onions cut in two
• a handful of sweet roasted peppers
• a handful of Asiago cheese cut in cubes
• a couple of sliced eggs
• mayonnaise to decorate

Directions

Cook the rice as it was pasta “al dente” (don’t forget to salt the water!), drain it, and rinse it under cool water. Be careful not to overcook the rice because if you let it cook too long, once drained all the grains will stick together, ruining both the taste and appearance of the salad.

I took a pictures of all the ingredients together, but you don’t need to dirty so many dishes, as I did! 😉

Just add all the ingredients to the rice, and mix them together!

Put the salad in the refrigerator and enjoy it when cooled.

Add to your portion some Asiago cheese cubes, few slices of boiled egg, and – if you like some extra taste – a few lines of mayonnaise.

TIPS: – If you decide to make this rice salad for a cook out (which sounds like an awesome idea), remember not to mix the mayonnaise with the salad, as to avoid it spoiling too quickly in the heat.

– If you make this salad for a party, use the eggs and mayonnaise not only as ingredients but as decorations: your dish will look gorgeously alluring!

– According to my personal experience, kids don’t appreciate this plate. My daughters like most of the ingredients of this salad separated, but once mixed all together, they just don’t want to take even a bite!

I really hope you like this recipe, and please, if you do, share it, like it, leave a comment, and subscribe to my blog if you would like to receive a new recipe each week for free.

About Silvia Todesco

I’m Silvia, I come from Veneto Region (from Bassano del Grappa precisely, one hour by car far from Venice), and I moved to Iowa in 2011, because of my husband’s job necessities.

I’ve grown up watching my great-grandmother, my grandmother, and my mother cooking for my family every day, searching carefully for ingredients and preparing fresh food. That was their way to show us how much they cared (and care) about us, and to carry on a tradition. I cannot recall a festivity without relatives everywhere and tons of delicious food to eat!

But my way was different I graduated with honors at the University of Law of Padua, and (obviously) I became a lawyer. As a professional, I used to work 14 hours a day, and, of course, the time I could dedicate to my family (and cooking) was almost none.

Then fate brought us here, and finally I’ve found myself. All my background came up, and I realized that taking care of my family is the most satisfying job I could do, especially because it entails cooking healthy and good food!

So I started to practice what I learned when I was young, and surprised myself in making all those meals that characterized my youth.

Integration in a new society is not easy, but it was nice for us to discover how much Italians are loved abroad! And since every new person we have met asked me if I was a good cook, and told me that they love Italian food, well, I decided to share my Italian cooking culture and recipes with you!

Of course, you won’t need to be an expert to follow my recipes! What I’m writing about is our daily menus- recipes made with simple and few ingredients, most of the time cheap and healthy (because the food is not processed).

Plus, considering my passion for cooking, I will also share with you new recipe I discovered in magazines, websites, or shared by friends, and in this case I will always describe you the origin of my posts objects.

In addition, I promise not only to write about Italian food, but especially to give suggestions related to where and how to find the right ingredients and tools you will need. I really hope that you will enjoy my tips!

Connect to Silvia

Website: https://italiangoodness.net/about/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/italiangoodness.net
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beautyandfourkids/
Mix: https://mix.com/silviatodesco81
Twitter: https://twitter.com/silviatodesco81
Pinterest: www.pinterest.it/silviatodesco/

Silvia would love to receive your comments and it would be great if you could share the post.. thanks Sally.

You can find all the recipes for a four course Italian meal in this file and also Silvia’s monthly posts. https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/italian-cookery-with-silvia-todesco/