Extra Easy Homemade Recipes

As you may have read in my bio, my husband is British and because of this I am very familiar with the term 'snack'. His meaning of 'snack' is a quick light meal to keep him going until he has a proper meal later. For me, being a Latino, a 'snack' means a small amount of food that is tasty, nutritious and appetising, because the digestion starts in the mouth.

Therefore the recipes that I am presenting here are of a cosmopolitan nature that fulfils my meaning of 'snack'.

All of these dainty entrances and starters are meals that can be offered before any main food, or as complementary food with a glass of wine or a cup of tea.

This is a salad that is rich in vitamins, it could be used to substitute a warm meal and it is very easy to make.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 medium portions)

250g of boiled turkey ham (cut in cubes or very fine small slices)
4 lettuce leaves (slightly cut)
400g celery
2 red onions
1 clove of garlic
2 grated carrots
2 soupspoons of lemon juice
1 pinch of salt
1 desert spoon of brown sugar
2 soupspoons of extra virgin olive oil
4 boiled eggs
1 soupspoon of spring onion or parsley (cut fine)
Optional 100g emmenthal cheese (cut in fine slices)

METHOD

Arrange the lettuce leaves on the plates, the grated carrots and the boiled turkey ham and the cheese (if you decided). Add the celery cut in fine slices.

Grate very fine the clove of garlic and the red onions, add the lemon juice, the salt and the brown sugar and mix very well. Add slowly the extra virgin olive oil and the spring onion (or the parsley); mix well and put this dressing on the top of the salad.

Add the eggs cut in quarters and serve.

This is a wonderful salad, it is very refreshing, fully satisfying and wholesome, but at the same time light in calories which offers you a good reason to have a nice desert afterwards.

INGREDIENTS (Per Person)

2 - 3 leaves of lettuce (cut or torn)
1 carrot grated
2 - 3 soupspoons sweet corn (from can)
2 - 3 soupspoons soy sprouts
1 kiwi (cut in slices)
1 pineapple slice (cut in small pieces)
1 pear (cut in small pieces)
Or other fruits added by your preference (i.e. melon, strawberry)
2 - 3 soupspoons of cooked chicken meat, or good quality Feta cheese
Mayonnaise (optional)

METHOD

Now follow the order of the list of ingredients and arrange them on a large plate.

This refreshing salad goes nicely with a glass of Chardonnay.

Let me know your opinion.

INGREDIENTS (for 12 mini-toasts)

1 clove of garlic
200 gram of black olives with the stones removed
6 fillets of anchovy
1- 2 crunchy pickled gherkins
60 ml extra virgin olive oil
12 toasted baguette slices
green spring onion, fillet anchovy or gherkins - to decorate

METHOD

Crush the garlic; add the olives, the anchovy, the gherkins and mix well (with a mixer or food processor in a few short impulses) until the composition is consistent, but not too smooth.

Add gradually the extra virgin olive oil, mixing continuously, until the consistency is even.

Spread this composition on the toasted baguette slices and decorate with green spring onion and fillet of anchovy or slices of gherkins.

Hope you will like!

INGREDIENTS

1 can of champignon mushrooms sliced
2 cloves of garlic + 1 clove of garlic for finishing
60 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion well chopped
1 soupspoon of brandy
1 soupspoon of parsley chopped small
1 pinch of dry thyme
1 pinch of dry oregano
1 pinch of dry rosemary
salt and pepper
optional béchamel sauce or coconut milk

METHOD

Fry lightly the mushrooms in the extra virgin olive oil with the onion; when the onion is soft, add the garlic, mix and allow to fry for about 2 - 3 minutes, then add the brandy allowing to cook for a few minutes and add the herbs, (but not the parsley).

Mix all well, season with salt and pepper then add the parsley and the other clove of garlic. Mix again and serve warm.

If you prefer to serve this dish with sauce, you can choose between a white sauce (béchamel) - see the Bechamel Sauce recipe, or with coconut milk.

With béchamel sauce, you only have to add the béchamel sauce to the saucepan with mushrooms - while it is still on the heat, mixing for a few minutes and then serve.

With coconut milk, while the saucepan with mushrooms is still on the heat, add 100 - 150 ml of coconut milk, mix together until the coconut milk reduces to half and then serve warm.

In both situations, you could put toasted rustic bread on the plate and put the mushrooms on the top of it: the bread will absorb the sauce. Wonderful taste!

I hope you will like a lot!

To have instead of normal bread with other food or just simply to 'kill' the hunger between meals.

INGREDIENTS (for approx. 20 mini-breads)

500g integral flour
2.5 dl milk
40g yeast
1 teaspoon of honey
150g cheese
5 soupspoons of olive oil
2 teaspoons of paprika
2 soupspoons of tomato
1 teaspoon of oregano
½ teaspoon of sea salt
½ teaspoon of black pepper
50g cheese (to finalise)

METHOD

Prepare the flour, the yeast, honey and the milk (lukewarm) and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Then add the crushed cheese, the olive oil, the tomato and the spices and knead very well.

Allow another 15 minutes to rest and then divide the dough in 20 parts, make little balls and leave to rest for a little bit on the grease tray that will go in the oven.

Warm the oven at 200°C, brush the little breads with olive oil, sprinkle them with grated cheese and put them in the oven to bake for 20 - 25 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

1 Kg flour
1 soupspoon salt
yeast
500g grated cheddar cheese
400g butter
2 eggs plus 1 egg for basting the sticks
sesame seeds

METHOD

Mixture all the ingredients and knead with natural yoghurt very well until the composition obtains a good consistency. Leave in a warm place for one hour to grow.

Roll the composition and cut into small sticks; baste them with the egg whip and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Heat the oven to 180°C. Put the tray of sticks into the oven until they are a golden color.

The legend says that the painter Scarpazza, known as well as Carpaccio was an appreciator of very fine raw meat, but the recipe became famous only from 1950, in Harry's Bar in Venice.

Some people said that the recipe was made for a lady client who could not eat cooked meat; others are saying that it was the chef in Harry's Bar who, having a group of unexpected clients, has cut the raw meat and served.

This dainty starter is usually made with meat, but you can as well use different ingredients, which have to be cut very fine.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people)

600g melon
3 - 4 slices of cured ham
1 soupspoon of balsamic vinegar
1 soupspoon of extra virgin olive oil

METHOD

Cut the melon in very fine slices (almost transparent if you can) and arrange them on the plates. Cut the cured ham in small and fine strips and put them on the top of the melon slices.

Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and with extra virgin olive oil and serve.

These Courgette Balls go well with Cucumber and Yoghurt Sauce

At the ingredients given, you can add minced chicken meat or soy thin (by each one's preference). See blood type diet for more information.

INGREDIENTS

250 gr. grated courgettes
1 small well grated onion
1 soupspoon flour
30 gr. grated Parmesan cheese (best choice is Parmigiano Reggiano)
2 soupspoons of chopped parsley
1 pinch of nutmeg
25 gr. breadcrumbs
1 slightly beaten egg
salt and pepper
olive oil to fry the balls in a frying pan
Optional, 100 gr. minced chicken meat or soy thin (hydrated before) and in this case, you will have to add another beaten egg and some more breadcrumbs.

METHOD

Put the courgettes and the onion on a clean kitchen cloth and squeeze well until the liquid is removed. Then add to all the other ingredients, season with salt and pepper and mix the composition with the hand, until it has become compact and connected dough.

Heat up the olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat and when it is hot place with a soupspoon (or moulded with the hands) the balls in the pan.

Allow to fry for 3- 4 minutes on each side, until they have a nice golden colour.

When fried put the balls on crumpled paper and serve them warm.