Antonio Carluccio's Simple recipes

While staying over at a friend's, I spied Antonio Carluccio's Simple cookbook lying on the coffee table. The recipes were simple with only a few ingredients and didn't require a lot of preparation. I decided to try out a few to see if they were really as good as they looked in the photos. I must point out that I rarely follow the measurements. I tend to "guesstimate" unless I'm baking which is about the only time I religiously follow the recipe from start to finish.

First up ....

Fried Mozzarella Sandwich







abt 4 tbsp milk
4 thick slices country bread
2 large slices buffalo mozzarella
plain flour to dust
salt
3 eggs, beaten
olive oil for shallow frying.

1. pour milk into a bowl. Dip slices of bread into milk for a few seconds but do not soak them. They don't want to be too wet. Drain, the place a slice of mozzarella on two of the bread slices. Place the other two slices on top of the cheese to make the sandwiches. Dip both sandwiches first into some flour seasoned with salt, then into the beaten eggs and leave for the mixture to be absorbed on both sides.

2. Pour enough olive oil into a frying pan to cover the base generously and heat gently.

3. Shallow fry the sandwiches in the hot olive oil until golden, about 5 mins per side. Serve immediately.


Note: I wasn't too enamored with the sandwich. The gooey mozzarella was lovely but the flipside of the bread was a little soggy.



Steve adores squid. I found these at Waitrose for 75 pence a kilo, down from £6.99. What's more.... they're from New Zealand. I had an interesting "debate" with a barista the other day as well as my Australian best friend. Flat white, a variant of cappuccino with less foam, actually originates from New Zealand. Got that Aussies? It's Kiwi. Sorry, I couldn't resist :P Next one up

Deep Fried squid



400g squid bodies and tentacles, cleaned
plenty of olive oil or groundnut oil for deep frying
50g semolina flour
50g plain flour
salt and pepper

1. Wash squid bodies and tentacles and dry on kitchen paper. Cut the bodies into rings about 1.5 cm thick.

2. Meanwhile, gently heat the oil in a frying pan. You'll need enough oil to enable the individual pieces of squid to float, at least 5 cm deep.

3. Mix the flours together in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. Toss the squid pieces in the flour, shaking off any surplus. (I actually dumped a load of mixed flour into a ziplock bag, threw in the squid and shook it until they're well coated).

4. put a few pieces of floured squid into hot oil at a time and deep fry until golden brown, about 4-5 mins. Drain well on kitchen paper and serve immediately.


Note: They're a tad bland but taste tons better with lemon or ketchup.



I LOVE beetroot. L has acquired an obsession for them. Reason being? It's a natural lipstick (???!!!). She smears a slice of beetroot on her lips before plopping it into her mouth. This is what you get when you tell your 4 year old that she CANNOT wear lipstick until she's 40. The last one on the list for today is:

Beetroot salad with mint



16 small fresh beetroot
20 mint leaves

dressing
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
salt and pepper

1. Cook the beetroot in plenty of boiling water until the tip of knife enters the beetroot very easily (abt 30 mins). Drain well.

2. When cool enough to handle, peel the beetroot and cut into thin slices. Put in a bowl and add mint.

3. For dressing, combine oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in small bowl and mix well. Toss together with beetroot and mint. Serve.


Note: I love the sweet beetroot juxtaposed with the tartiness of the olive oil and white wine vinegar dressing.

And here's my incorrigible 4 year old and her stained lips.