As Manu’s parents love cultivating salad and vegetables in a small portion of their back garden during summertime, we are also lucky to benefit weekly of a big variety of delicious and healthy products.
In this period we are eating a lot of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, courgettes, cucumbers, French beans, basil, rocket and various types of salad. Besides that, we regularly go to a farmer for excellent potatoes, onions and fruits at very correct prices. Also in Italy we are suffering the big price increase of food and we try to find an alternative to the supermarket, not only saving money, but also gaining in freshness.
That means also that we have to use our fantasy to cook all these vegetables in different ways.
These are some simple and tasteful recipes:
PANZANELLA
This is typical of central Italy, it’s made with some slices of rustic bread softened with few glasses of water. The bread must be wet and soft but not overwhelmed by water. Once made this operation you add chopped vegetables as red onions, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, capers then canned tuna and anchovy. You mix all together seasoning with salt, pepper and extra-virgin olive oil. Leave it some hours in the fridge before eating.
GAZPACHO see previous post
COLD RISE
Cook in boiling salted water a reasonable quantity of rice (we use ‘vialone nano’ rice from our region, but also other varieties are fine for it), after ten minutes drain the water away and put the rice into a bowl adding extra virgin oil, waiting till it gets cooler. Add chopped tomatoes and peppers (and any other variety you like). Add a small quantity of capers and olives, then a diced mozzarella, canned tuna fish and finally basil. Before adding salt, consider that capers are usually quite salted, so you better taste before. Last time I also added some paprika powder at the end.
TORTILLA
I like to give this Spanish name to my omelette, because it’s colourful like those you eat in Spain…
Break 3 eggs (or more, depending on the number of persons) in a bowl and whisk them, then add a half glass of milk and 3-4 tablespoons of flour, salt and pepper and continue whisking till it’s well mixed. Add chopped vegetables as: a half red onion, two medium tomatoes (removing their liquid before) and small green peppers. Heat a medium size non-stick frying pan with two tablespoons of olive oil. Pour the mix of eggs and vegs and level it carefully with a wooden spreader. After few seconds reduce at minimum heat-level and cover the pan. Leave it 10 minutes cooking slowly and check regularly, but keep covered, till you see that the eggs are cooked also on the surface.

GRILLED EGGPLANTS OR COURGETTES
This is a very easy way to cook these vegetables that can be combined with every dish, like meat or fish, but can also be added to a mixed salad. Just grill (you can use also a non-stick frying pan) thin slices of eggplants or courgettes and put them in layers into a casserole. Season every layer with salt, pepper, extra-virgin olive oil and if you wish also some chopped basil or parsley. Ideal is to leave it resting few hours before eating.