QUICHE WITH ASPARAGUS AND SPECK

This recipe is not only great as appetizer for a dinner with friends, or a light meal next to a big salad. It can also be packed and brought to work.

As usually, for this quiche I prepared my home made shortcrust pastry (see the recipe here), but if you are in a hurry you can use the frozen one. It will even more quicker and easier to prepare this delicious quiche with asparagus and speck. And if you don't find speck, you can substitute with ham, pancetta, mortadella or...salmon!

CROSTINI WITH CHEESE, PEARS AND SPECK

     


What I miss the most in The Netherlands is the Italian aperitivo: meeting friends before dinner for a glass of good Prosecco or a spritz usually accompanied by stuzzichini, such as olives, crisps, nuts, cheese, sauce dips, little quiches or similar snacks.

What about doing it at home? Yes it's possible, easy and you don't need particular ingredients: just have a look at what's in your fridge and use your imagination!

But remember: l'aperitivo (aperitif, from the Latin aperire, or "to open,") should enhance the appetite before a meal. It shouldn't substitute your dinner ;) 

When I opened the fridge to see what was in it, I found pears, cheese, speck, mustard and bread. Let's see together how to assemble everything.

WARM GOAT'S CHEESE SALAD

Believe me, this dish tastes even better than it seems. Warm goat's cheese accompanied by a fresh salad with apples and walnuts.

I discovered this way to serve goat's cheese almost one year ago, when my boyfriend ordered it in a restaurant here in Utrecht. It was delicious and once home I immediately started to search for a recipe explaining how to prepare it. Nothing! I found different versions of warm goat's cheese but no one looked like the dish we had in the restaurant.

I decided then to find it by myself. After several attempts I finally found out the right combination of ingredients and the cooking time!

Let's see together how to make this dish, that can be served as starter or second/main course.

MOZZARELLA & POMODORO: the happiest marriage!

When pomodoro (tomato) met mozzarella it was love at first sight! During a sunny summer day, with the help of two witnesses, oregano and olive oil, they got married in Italy, the land of good eating.

This is the story of my caprese, a variation of the famous traditional Italian salad. The original one indeed is made with fresh basil, but when I tried it with the wild oregano that I received from a close friend, I really felt in love with this version!
The pungency of oregano matches perfectly with the sweetness of tomato and the fresh and delicate taste of mozzarella.

 This is a simple but incredibly delicious dish when made with the best ingredients and in the proper season. Summer is the best period of the year to eat caprese, because it is when you will enjoy it the most and the ingredients have the best flavor. Indeed, apart from 10 minutes, all what you need are tomatoes (the best would be a red fresh homegrown pomodoro), mozzarella or, if you are lucky enough to find it, a real mozzarella di bufala, genuine olive oil and Mediterranean dried oregano.

You can serve mozzarella & pomodoro as an appetizer or as a main dish. It's lovely in both cases ;)