Frittata di Zucchine e Parmigiano

Frittata di Zucchine

This is the ultimate corner shop low carb classic. Heat up your grill. In a small non-stick saute pan fry off half a sliced red onion until soft (slowly), then add sliced zucchini (2 large cut into 3 mm rounds) and cook until browned. Meanwhile mix six eggs with three handfuls of parmigiano and some chopped parsely, season with black pepper. Pour mix into the pan, cook for about 5 mins on medium hob until it looks as if it is firming up, then brown under the grill for two mins. Serve with salad and a glass of white.

Pate’ di Fegatini / Crostini alla Chiantigiana

You stand over it, pondering on the soft, delicate, visceral mass and you start to feel ever so slightly nervous. Some are bright red, some dark red, some big, some small and the flesh submits to the touch. You have an epiphany that your own liver is equally as delicate, but instead of being the picture of health it is instead probably a bit ratty around the edges and you wonder about all those Sunday mornings when you can just about piece together the night before.

Fact. Once you cook with liver you start to respect your own.

Anyway.

It is technically impossible to find a restaurant in Tuscany which does not offer liver pate served on crunchy crostini.

Pate’ di Fegatini

Probably because most people absolutely detest it, chicken liver per pound is probably the cheapest and most nutritional foodstuff you can still buy for pennies.

The crostini at the back is mashed Cannelloni beans with olive oil, a hint of garlic and rosemary prepared for a girlfriend who grew up in Tuscany but who does not eat liver.

Make your crostini (stale bread, brush with olive oil and bake in the oven until light gold)

For the pate, fry the onion until soft, chuck a pound of livers in, throw in some chopped sage leaves, the juice of half a lemon. Cook through, and then blitz or run through a sieve. Season. Serve warm on the crostini.

Variations – add some chili, sweat some pancetta into the onions etc.

Brasato di manzo con i funghi (e gremolata)

This stew is so rich it could fly you to Monaco in its own spaceship.

brasato di manzo con i funghi ( e gremolata)

The freshness of the gremolata makes all the difference, cutting through and lifting the stew.

This serves about 6.

• 2.5lbs of stewing/ chuck steak, cut up into two inch lumps
• 1 bottle of strong red wine
• three or four carrots, peeled and sliced chunky
• three or four big celery sticks, cut up chunky
• three fat portobello mushrooms sliced 1.5cm
• 1 yellow onion, quartered and sliced
• two sticks of rosemary, a handful of thyme,  5 bay leaves
• four cloves of garlic
• salt, pepper

Marinate the meat in the wine and veg (including 3 garlic cloves sliced thinly) and herbs for 3 hours. Reserve the wine. Reserve the veg. Season some flour and dredge the meat. Brown the meat well in some olive oil or butter. You’ll do this in batches, so start frying off the veg, as they will need at least 10 mins on medium until softened. Chuck the browned meat into the veg, cover with wine, bring to a simmer and sling in a 150 degree oven for 3 hours or so. With an hour to go add the sliced mushroom. To serve, finely chop the zest of a lemon with a good handful of parsley and a clove of garlic. Sprinkle on top.

Remember that all stews improve with a night in the fridge.