feel food club

italian

Veal Stuffed Zucchini Cannelloni

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This dish basically is a lighter twist on stuffed cannelloni – just without the cannelloni. When I was in the kitchen creating this dish, I actually did not mean to recreate cannelloni or put a lighter twist in them. I just let myself experiment. After finishing cooking, when I ate this dish I realized that it actually looked like the typically Italian pasta. It tasted sooo good. Just all the flavors and textures worked really well together. The crunch of the zucchini, the texture of the ground meat, the softness of the melted cheese, and the intense flavor of the tomato sauce. 

It is a little work, to make this dish, so it is not the perfect dish to have as a quick dinner, but it is if you have some more time and want to cook it together with someone else on a date night or a family dinner. I really, really like this dish because it is family friendly, still sneaks in some vegetables and kind of is a lighter twist on a baked pasta dish.

I decided to use minced veal as a meat simply because I really like the flavor and it is pretty lean. If you prefer to use beef, turkey, pig, or even a vegetarian mince that would work too. I just think that the veal doesn’t overpower the other ingredients but still brings a nice flavor and texture. Also, it makes the dish a little bit more Italian because in Italy, veal is used very often. When frying it in the pan, don’t leave it in there for too long since it shouldn’t be completely cooked through as it would get dry in the oven. Also if you do not have an oven safe pan, you can use any other oven safe dish to bake the “cannelloni” in.

The Ricotta that is in the filling along with the meat gives this entire dish such a delicious richness and hearty flavor, which I realllllyyy like. Of course, you can use cream cheese or curd cheese instead but it won’t be the same. Ricotta just has this little something and this instant-Italian twist on every dish you use it in, so I would not substitute it with anything else. All the herbs that are packed into the Ricotta just give it a freshness and make it real good. Never skip the herbs & spices!

When baking the zucchini in the oven, the sauce will get more liquid since the zucchini will loose water. I personally like it because you can pour some more onto your plate but if you prefer to having it thick you can blanch the zucchini strips in simmering water for a few minutes and dry them with a paper towel. This is quite a lot of work because there are a lot of them, so I leave this step out and go for the thinner sauce. Especially when there is not too much time then I’d recommend not doing this extra step.

All in all, this is a pretty simple Italian inspired dish. It is a little bit of work but really fun to make and such a great way to lighten up stuffed cannelloni. I know that some Italians would come and beat me up now if I keep calling this “cannelloni” but it is really good. A dinner that all of your family is going to love!! If you do make it, be sure to share it with me on Instagram and tag me with @uneptcuisiniere or #unepetitecuisiniere. I’d love to see it! 

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Veal Stuffed Zucchini Cannelloni

A delicious lighter twist on the traditional italian classic. Made with ground veal and herbed ricotta, which is all packed into nourishing Zucchini and topped with fresh tomato sauce and molten cheese. Just good.

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 30 Minuten
Cook Time 20 Minuten
Total Time 50 Minuten
Servings 4 people
Calories 370 kcal

What you will need

  • 2 Zucchini
  • 1.5 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 White Onion
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • 400 g Ground Veal can substitute for any other meat
  • 200 g Ricotta
  • 1 Egg Yolk
  • 1 tbsp Minced Basil
  • 1 tbsp Minced Sage
  • 1 tbsp Minced Oregano
  • 400 ml Tomatoe Sauce
  • 50 g Parmesan Cheese Do not use pre-grated ones if possible since the quality is alway lower
  • 50 g Mozarella Cheese Buffalo is best

How to

That´s how it works:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C. With a peeler, peel of strips of the Zucchini that are about 1-2mm thick. In a pan heat up the olive oil. Meanwhile finely mince the onion and garlic. Once hot add them to the oil and cook them for about 1 minute. Add the meat and generously salt and pepper. Cook for about 5-8 minutes, it does not have to be completely cooked through. 

  2. In a bowl mix the Ricotta with the egg yolk, the fresh herbs, salt, and pepper. On a flat surface lay out about three to four Zucchini strips* at a time, depending on how big they are, slightly overlaping. 

  3. Grate the parmesan cheese and chop of the mozarella into about 1.5 cm large pieces. 

  4. At the lower end of them spread one tablespoon of the Ricotta mixture and 1 tablespoon of the minced veal on top. Carefully roll them up and place them aside. Continue until there is no Zucchini and Meat left. 

  5. In an oven-safe dish or pan spread half of the tomato sauce. Carefully place the Cannelloni horizonatlly in it. Top them with the rest of the tomato sauce and the different cheeses.

  6. Bake in the oven for about 12 minutes, so the cheese has all molten and the Zucchini is cooked through. Serve with some fresh basil and enjoy!

Notes

*if you want the dish to be less watery, blanch the Zucchini strips in simmering water for about 1 minute here. Then transfer them into an ice bath and pat them dry. Continue to follow along the recipe. 

I do not think that this step is necessary because I like it to be saucy but this depends on your preference.

3 Tomato Gnocchi with Garlicky Prawns

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If you have ever been to Italy you know how a sauce with fresh tomatoes tastes. Creamy, sweet, tangy, fresh, natural, just delicious!! My family and I, we go to Italy every year, at least twice and eating some kind of pasta, gnocchi or risotto with fresh tomatoes is a staple there! I can’t spend time in Italy without eating the delicious Italian tomatoes.

Well, now I am back from holidays, back from Italy and only dreaming about those incredibly delicious tomatoes (not sure if you already know, but I am a tomato addict!! Favourite food of all time), and if I buy a tomato sauce at the store it is far from what you´d get in Italy. I’m not saying that they are not tasty but just not comparable with what you would get in an Italian restaurant. But as I was really craving a tomatoey dish with all the flavor I decided to start experimenting and finally created this super delicious 3-tomato gnocchi.

I was able to find some local, big, austrian tomatoes in different colors and shapes, at the farmers market, which I really liked (the more local the better!!), and all were organic from farmers around and did not contain any chemicals or anything else they didn’t need. I honestly loved the variety of color and really liked the different shapes, which made every single tomato unique. I definitely prefer them having different shapes and sizes without any artificial stuff in them than having 10 tomatoes with exactly the same color, the same shape, and the same taste, which 1) is boring & 2) not natural! I also found some small honey tomatoes which are my favourite! (Best snack ever!) They are sweet, have a great texture and just every bite is treat. The third kind of tomato I used was tomato paste, to intensify the flavor, and I would definitely not leave out when making this because it does make a difference!!! 

I also used fresh basil from our garden, white wine from the vineyard next to our house, and some sour cream from Austrian farmers (if you want to make a vegan version of this sauce, either leave out the sour cream at all or substitute it with coconut cream or another vegan cream cheese substitute)! The prawns that I used were from Italy and I bought them frozen so that they are really fresh. For this dish I used parted tiger prawns because I do not like to have small prawns where there only is one bite. I’d recommend peeling them before grilling or frying them since I believe that it is easier do this before than after cooking but if you prefer peeling it after to give it a look then that works too! 

When it comes to gnocchi I would always recommend using fresh ones. I personally do not like the packaged ones a lot since most of them only tend to become more and more the longer you chew them. You can either make them yourself or if you have a gourmet food store or an Italian store close to where you live, Idaho recommend buying fresh gnocchis there because the quality of fresh ones is just better. I used frozen ones I made over a year ago, which was not the best decision because they were in the freezer for pretty long, so they turned very mushy as soon as I cooked them. It didn’t make a difference in taste but in the looks. So if you can, use as fresh ones as you can get. Of course, if you do not like gnocchi, the sauce also tastes really really good with some pasta or even with rice!

I always make this dish when I start to miss Italy, and it is especially delicious in summer when the tomatoes are fresh, seasonal, and so flavorful. It also is a really healthy and balanced dish. You get some good carbs and vitamins out of the potatoes in the gnocchi, a lot of vitamins and antioxidants from the tomatoes, healthy fats from the olive oil, and some protein from the prawns. It is such a delicious and simple dish that will please the entire family and satisfy all your needs. I hope that you will like this dish and if you have any questions just leave them in the comments, I will answer you! If you are recreating it, just leave the hashtag #unepetitcuisiniere and I will see them!

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3 Tomato Gnocchi with Garlicky Prawns

A delicious & quick weeknight dinner

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 13 Minuten
Cook Time 10 Minuten
Total Time 23 Minuten
Servings 2
Calories 584 kcal

What you will need

Thats what you will need:

  • 500 g Tomatoes lrge, and best different colours
  • 200 g Cherry tomatoes
  • 20 ml Olive Oil
  • 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
  • 1 Chili
  • 1 tbsp Sour Cream
  • 125 ml White Wine
  • 3 Garlic Cloves
  • 300 g Tiger Prawns
  • 300 g Gnocchi
  • 1 handful Basil

How to

Thats how it works:

  1. Cut the large tomatoes into 2cm cubes. Half the cherry tomatoes. Peel and finely slice one garlic clove and chili. In a big pan heat up half of the olive oil. In a smaller pot start bringing some water to a boil. When hot add the tomato paste to the oil and stir well until everything is well combined. Then add garlic and chili into the Oil and saute until it starts to turn golden-brown. Add the tomatoes into the pan and saute them for about 3 minutes. Pour the white wine over the tomatoes and add the sour cream and let it all simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. Generously salt and a little pepper. If it gets too thick, add some more wine, if it is too thin add some more sour cream or let it simmer for a little longer.

  2. Meanwhile peal the prawns, slice the other 2 garlic cloves, and add the remaining olive oil into a pan and heat it up. Cook the Gnocchi in the boiling water for about 3 minutes (depending on the Gnocchi you have), until soft. Fry the prawns with the garlick in the oil for about 2 minztes on each side.

    Cut the basil into thin strips and add into the sauce. Keep a few leaves for the garnish.

  3. Drain the Gnocchi and add to the tomato sauce. Divide it onto 2 plates, add the prawns and garnish with basil.

    Serve & enjoy!

Tomato Sauce (V,SF,S)

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Tomato season – aka my favorite season – is finally here! Isn´t it the best time of the year when there is red, yellow, orange, and green balls in every size around? Every restaurant offers fresh tomato dishes and there is no excuse needed for snacking on small tomatoes all day long? Yep – it is the best time of the year.

Tomatoes are my favorite fruits (Yes, they are fruits! Berries to be exact)! have been eating them every day since I have been little. My mom used to buy baskets of small cherry tomatoes at some point in the morning, and by the time she wanted to prepare dinner they were all gone. I don´t know how often it has happened that I´ve snacked all the tomatoes away that we would have needed for dinner. Too often!

Tomatoes do not only taste ah-mazing!, but they are also super healthy. Unlike other fruits or vegetables tomatoes do not loose nutritional value when being cooked. They do loose vitamin C, but their content of their beneficial trans-lycopene increases immensely when being cooked. They offer a great spectrum of vitamins and antioxidants, are heart healthy and reduce your blood pressure. They are loaded with vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K. They are super hydrating and contain about 95% water. They are also super skin-healthy and can help to prevent sunburns. I loved eating them before I knew all of those nutritional benefits but now I love it even more to in cooperate them into my diet!

This sauce recipe is pretty traditional as you would find it in Italy. It is made with celery and carrots, as done in the home country of tomato sauce, but I believe that this also is a great way to sneak in more vegetables. You cannot taste the celery or the carrot in the sauce but it still adds a nice earthy note to the sauce.

The fresh oregano and basil add a fresh flavor and the chili, which is optional, give the sauce a spicy kick. But be careful with the amount you add in, and the spiciness of the chili as you can easily go overboard with it. When I made this recipe I added a whole lot of chili flakes (which I have stupidly never tried before), and the sauce turned out sooo spicy. My family and me were sweating quite a lot when eating it hahaha, so be careful!

Some people like to add sugar into the sauce to make it sweeter but I do not think that this is necessary when using the right tomatoes. If you buy the tomatoes make sure to ask which ones are best to use for sauces as different tomatoes have different qualities. Another tip of mine when cooking with tomatoes is salt! Salt is the key to bring out the flavors in tomato sauce. Best to use is salt that is very little processed such as Himalaya salt or sea salt.

I decided to use fresh onions and garlic in this recipe as I always prefer the fresh products over the powder. I believe that the powdered spice version is a great substitute when only cooking a small amount or when wanting to spice something only a little but I personally prefer fresh vegetables. They just add more flavor and texture into the dish.

This tomato sauce could be served very well traditionally, with pasta or I do really like it with meatballs to. It can also be used to make a shakshuka or even in an Indian curry, like Tikka Masala. I like to prepare a rather big batch of it, so I can freeze it easily and just heat it up whenever I need it or am in a rush. Simply stored in the fridge it would last for about 1 ½ to 2 weeks.

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Italian Tomato Sauce (V, SF, S)

This is a very easy recipe for a traditional recipe for our loved tomato sauce. Only a few ingredients and packe with flavor to make use of the delicious red fruits that are in season right now. (Vegan, Sugarfree, Seasonal)

Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 Minuten
Cook Time 15 Minuten
Simmer Time 1 Stunde 30 Minuten
Total Time 2 Stunden
Servings 8 people
Calories 117 kcal

What you will need

  • 1,5 kg tomatoes about 4 medium to big ones
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 red onions
  • 4-5 cloves garlic
  • 1 carrot
  • 2 sticks celery
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp salt at least! Preferably sea salt
  • chili flakes as desired
  • 1/2 tbsp pepper
  • 1 handful oregano
  • 1 handful basil

How to

  1. Start by removing the green stem from the tomatoes. Then turn the tomato around so that the top side, where the stem has been is facing down. Take a sharp knife and carefully slice a small cross into the skin. This will help you later when cooking and peeling.

  2. In a pot bring water to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Place the tomatoes into the pot and let them simmer for about 30-45 seconds. Flip them around and simmer for another 30-45 seconds. Take them out and transfer them into an ice bath so they cool quickly.

  3. While the tomatoes are cooling, finely peel and chop up the onion and the garlic and set them aside. Peel the carrots and chop it up along with the celery. Heat up the olive oil in a big pot. When hot add the onion and garlic and let sweat for about 2 minutes on medium heat.

  4. Take the tomtatoes out of the ice bath and you will notice that the skin has taken off a little where you have cut the tomatoes before. You can now easily peel of the skin, you wont need it anymore. Cut the tomatoes into chunks and add them to the other vegetables in the pot. Let that simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

    When the liquid has reduced and thickend pour the cooked tomato-vegetable mix into a blender. If you prefer to have some tomatoe chunks in you sauce, then reserve some of them and set them aside. Blend the rest until smooth and pour back into the pot along with the chunks if you reserved some. Add the tomato paste, salt, pepper, oregano, and chili.

    Let the sauce simmer at low heat for another 45 minutes at least. The longer the sauce simmers, the more the flavor will come out, this can be simmered for several hours if the time is available.

    A few minutes before chop up the basil and add into the sauce. The sauce can be served with pasta, rice, meatballs or anything you like. The sauce can be stored in the fridge for about 1 1/2 to 2 weeks. It can be kept in the fridge for several months, just thaw before using and heat it up again.

  5. I hope that you will enjoy the recipe!