Light cuisine has never been so good: here are some light summer recipes to inspire you for a menu to combat the heat. A Rice tartare with tuna and pesto; a cucumber salad with pears; bresaola parcels filled with ricotta; a cold pasta salad with shrimp and mint pesto; grilled cuttlefish on mint puree; and an amazing-looking egg soufflé in tomato and raspberry soup. Your guests will be delighted and impressed! Buon Appetito!
Riso con tonno, pesto e mozzarella di bufala - Rice Tuna Tartare
Ingredients
Venere rice 250 g; tuna belly in oil 120 g; garlic 2 cloves; Ligurian pesto 4 tablespoons; buffalo mozzarella 200 g; grated zest of 1 citron; extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons; salt; pepper
Preparation
Boil the rice in plenty of salted boiling water for about 40 minutes. Drain and set aside. In the meantime, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan with the crushed garlic cloves and fry for a few minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.
Drain the tuna belly from the oil and crush it with a fork to break up the fillets (the belly is a prized part of the tuna so the fillets are firm and compact). Add it to the pan with the garlic and oil, let it flavor for a few minutes and remove the garlic. Fry the rice in the pan with the tuna, season with salt and pepper, then turn off the heat. Add the fresh pesto and the grated citron zest (leave a little aside for decoration) and mix well. Plate, using a round or square pastry cutter, and distribute the hand-broken buffalo mozzarella over the rice. Drizzle with the remaining oil, decorate with the reserved citron peel and season with a sprinkling of black pepper.
Insalata di cetrioli e pere - Cucumber Salad with Pears
Ingredients
3 small cucumbers; 2 pears; 200 g feta; 1 lemon;
extra virgin olive oil; 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; fresh thyme; salt; pepper
Preparation:
To make the cucumber and pear salad, wash, dry and cut the cucumbers into thin slices, without peeling them. Blanch the slices in boiling salted water, drain them and quickly pass them under cold water. Let them dry on a clean kitchen towel.
Wash and dry the pears and cut them into thin slices; then sprinkle them with the filtered lemon juice. Arrange a crown of cucumber slices on the serving dish, overlap with a layer of pear slices and continue in this way until the ingredients are finished. Finish with diced feta, sprinkle with thyme leaves and dress with a vinaigrette of oil emulsified with balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Serve the cucumber and pear salad immediately.
Fagottini di bresaola con ricotta, rucola e noci pecan - Bresaola Parcels filled with ricotta
Ingredients
200 g sliced bresaola; 200 g ricotta; 20 g rocket;
50 g pecan nuts; extra virgin olive oil; salt; pepper
chives
Preparation:
Start with the ricotta bresaola parcel filling. In a bowl, whisk the ricotta until it is smooth. Add the roughly chopped pecans and chopped rocket. Mix with a spatula to combine, then season with a tablespoon of oil, salt, and pepper. Place a spoonful of ricotta on a slice of bresaola. Close it into a bundle and tie it with a bit of kitchen string. This will make it easier to overlap it with a stem of chives. Continue in this manner until you have used up all the ingredients. Keep the ricotta bresaola bundles refrigerated until ready to serve.
Pasta fredda e gamberi al pesto rapido e menta - Cold Pasta Salad with Shrimps and Mint Pesto
Cold pasta is a must in the summer: this one with shrimp, quick pesto, and mint will become your favourite when you have guests.
Ingredients
600g San Marzano tomatoes; 320g Short pasta such as farfalle; 40g Basil leaves; 30g Pine nuts; 4
pcs large shrimp tails; Garlic; Shallot; Mint; Grated parmesan; Extra virgin olive oil; Salt
Preparation:
Blend the basil leaves with 25 g of pine nuts, half a peeled garlic clove, 60 g of oil, 15 g of parmesan and a pinch of salt (pesto).
Shell the prawn tails, remove the dark intestine, cut them half lengthwise and brown them in a pan with a spoonful of oil for 2-3 minutes. Blanch the tomatoes, remove the peel and seeds and cut them into small cubes. Cook them in a pan with a spoonful of oil, a chopped shallot, and salt for 8 minutes. Then, season with 3-4 mint leaves cut into strips and finish cooking for 2 minutes, or until the liquid has completely evaporated. Remove from the heat and let cool (sauce). Boil the pasta, then drain it. Lightly oil it and spread it out on a tray to cool. Dress the cold pasta with the sauce and 2 tablespoons of pesto. Distribute it on the serving dish and complete with the prawn tails, the remaining pesto, and 5 g of coarsely chopped pine nuts. Decorate with mint leaves and serve.
Seppie grigliate su purè di piselli con nocciole tostate - Grilled Cuttlefish on pea puree
Cuttlefish and peas are a traditional and very successful combination.
Ingredients
400g shelled peas; 800g cleaned cuttlefish; 50g toasted hazelnuts; 40g extra virgin olive oil; 4 mint leaves; salt; pepper
Preparation:
To prepare the grilled cuttlefish on the pea puree, boil 400g of shelled peas in boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes. Drain them in cold water, which you will need to use for decoration at the end. Blend the remaining 300 g with 4-5 mint leaves, a couple of tablespoons of cooking water (enough to achieve a reasonably firm puree), 40 g of extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Coarsely chop 50 g of toasted hazelnuts. Collect 800 g of cleaned cuttlefish in a bowl with a bit of extra-virgin olive oil; mix them to coat the entire surface generously with the oil, and then roast them on a hot grill for 3-4 minutes per side, depending on their size. Serve it on the pea puree with chopped mint leaves, the reserved peas, hazelnuts, salt flakes or a few grains of coarse salt, and a sprinkling of pepper.
Uova soufflé in zuppa di pomodori e lamponi - Eggs soufflé in tomato and raspberry soup
Eggs in sauce? Yes, but not the usual ones! Discover how to prepare a soft egg soufflé in a tomato and raspberry soup for a wow-worthy second course!
Ingredients
4 eggs; butter; salt; pepper
For the tomato Soup or Sugo: 200g Camone tomatoes; 200g Piccadilly tomatoes; 200g yellow cherry tomatoes; 5 raspberries; 1 Shallot; basil; extra virgin olive oil; salt; pepper
For the Wafer:
200 g Parmigiano Reggiano Dop; pepper; mixed seeds
Procedure
Separate the yolks from the whites, being careful not to break them. Whip the egg whites until stiff, then divide them into four buttered rings (ø 8-10 cm); alternatively, divide them into four small piles (the result will be a little less regular).
Create a depression in the centre of the egg whites and cook them in the steamer for 2 minutes. Place the yolks on top of the whites and cook in the steamer for an additional minute. Add salt and pepper at the end.
For the Tomato Soup: Cut all the tomatoes in half. Brown the Piccadilly tomatoes in a pan, without fat, slightly burning the skin. Add the chopped shallot, a drizzle of oil and one glass of water to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes.
Add the remaining tomatoes and cook for an additional 3 minutes, then finish with the raspberries, a sprig of basil, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
The alternative: If you want, you can distribute half of the whipped egg whites in the rings, place the yolk in the center, cover with the remaining egg white and level. Bake in the oven at 180 °C for 3 minutes. You will serve small clouds, and the yolk will be a soft surprise.
For the wafers: Prepare four squares of baking paper (15 cm side). Place a generous spoonful of grated parmesan in the center of each and spread it out in an even layer. Place in the microwave at maximum power for a few seconds or in a traditional oven at 180 °C until golden wafers are obtained. Take them out of the oven and sprinkle them while still hot with the seeds and pepper. Serve the warm soup with the eggs placed on top, accompanied by the wafers.
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