Showing posts with label kidney beans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kidney beans. Show all posts

Thursday 31 December 2015

Recipes for Making Amaretto Squash Soup and Tuscan Bean-Pasta Soup

These recipes for making amaretto squash soup and Tuscan bean-pasta soup are prepared from low fat ingredients. They are Italian classics which are easy to prepare.

Recipe for Amaretto Squash Soup


Ingredients


* 900g of butternut squash
* 750ml of milk
* 25ml of amaretto
* 15ml of vegetable oil
* 1 onion
* A pinch of nutmeg
* 1 small potato
* Salt and pepper

Procedure


- Peel the potato and chop it into very small sizes. Chop the onion also to small sizes
- Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds from it and cut it into small cubes
- Put the vegetable in a saucepan and heat over medium heat
- Add the butternut squash, onion and potato. Cook for about 5 minutes in order for the onion to become soft
- Add 370ml of the milk and allow to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes for the vegetables to be soft
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool. Blend the soup in batches by using a blender
- Return the soup to the saucepan, add the nutmeg, amaretto and the remaining milk and stir. Add pepper and salt to taste
- Gradually reheat the soup over low heat. Do not allow to boil. Serve as required.


Recipe for Tuscan Bean-Pasta Soup


Ingredients


* 2  carrots
* 3 garlic cloves
* 80ml of olive oil
* 6 celery stalks
* 800ml of canned tomatoes
* 2 tablespoons of chopped basil
* 12 slices of toasted bread
* 120ml of pepe bucato
* 80ml of grated parmesan cheese
* 4 onions
* 1/2 teaspoons of salt
* 500ml of sliced savoy cabbage
* 2L of chicken stock
* 540ml of canned white kidney beans
* freshly ground pepper

Procedure

- Cut the carrot and celery stalks into very small cubes. Cut the garlic into very tiny sizes
- Slice the onions into rings
- Rinse the kidney beans with water
- Put 25ml of the olive oil in a large saucepan and heat over medium heat.
- Add the carrots, garlic, onions, celery stalks and salt. Cook for 10 minutes while stirring at regular intervals, in order to soften the onion rings
- Add the cabbage, and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock and basil, stir and allow to boil
- Add the pepe bucato and cook for 12 minutes in order for the pasta to become soft but firm. Add the beans, stir and remove from heat
- Preheat an oven to about 190C. Put 4 slices of the toasted bread in an oven-proof pot
- Sprinkle the bread with 10ml of olive oil and 25ml of parmesan cheese, and pour half of the prepared soup over the slices of bread
- Put another 4 slices of bread, sprinkle with 10ml of olive oil and 25ml of parmesan cheese, and pour the remaining half of the soup
- Put the last 4 slices of the bread into the pot and sprinkle with the remaining olive oil and parmesan cheese
- Bake for 10 minutes in order for the cheese to become golden brown
- Season with the freshly ground pepper and serve

Get more recipes at recipes for making black bean soup, pasta and bean soup and chicken rice soup.

What do you think about these recipes? Let me know your views and suggestions through the comment box below. Your comments would be highly appreciated.

Wednesday 9 December 2015

Recipes for Making Italian Bean Dip, Pita Crisps and Grilled Polenta with Gorgonzola

Low fat ingredients have been selected here, for the recipes used for making Italian bean dip, pita crisps and grilled polenta with gorgonzola. These appetizers are quick and easy to prepare and are basically Italian classics.

Recipe for Italian Bean Dip

Ingredients


* 50ml of oil-packed sun dried tomatoes
* 25ml of olive oil
* 25ml of lemon juice
* 2 tablespoon of chopped fresh basil
* 2 garlic cloves
* A pinch of ground pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon of salt
* 540ml of canned white kidney beans

Procedure

- Chop the dried tomatoes into fine sizes
- Cut the garlic cloves into small slices
- Rinse the kidney beans and drain out the water
- Put the dried tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, basil, pepper, garlic and salt into a bowl and stir them together
- Pour the mixture into a blender. Add the kidney beans and switch the blender on and off for about 12 times until the mixture becomes chunky.
- Serve with bread and crisps.

View picture of a dish of Italian bean dip and have an idea of its appearance.


Recipe for Pita Crisps

 

Ingredients


* 2 pitas
* 80ml of olive oil
* 2 garlic cloves
* 1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin

Procedure


- Preheat the oven to a temperature of 180oC
- Cut the garlic into small slices
- Put the pitas on a cutting board and cut each one into two parts
- Put the olive oil, garlic and cumin in a small bowl and stir vigorously to mix them properly
- Rub both sides of each of the pitas with the oil mixture above, and cut each of them into 10 slices
- Put the slices of pitas on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes until the pitas become crisp and golden
- The crisps can be preserved for about 2 weeks in an airtight container.

View picture of a dish of pita crisps in order to know how it looks like.


Recipe For Grilled Polenta with Gorgonzola

 

Ingredients


* 380ml of cornmeal
* 120g of Gorgonzola
* 1 teaspoon of salt
* A little amount of vegetable oil

Procedure


- Cut the Gorgonzola into about 40 cubes and set aside
- Put about 1.8 liters of water into a deep saucepan, add the salt and allow to boil over a moderately high heat
- Add the cornmeal slowly and in little amount at a constant rate, while whisking and stirring constantly to avoid lumps
- Reduce the heat to a moderately low amount and cook for about 25 minutes, while constantly stirring until it becomes thick and smooth.
- Pour it into a flat (about 13-inch wide) baking sheet that has the inside rubbed with the vegetable oil. Spread it all over the baking sheet. Allow it to cool until it becomes solid.
- Rub the inside of the grill of a cooker with the vegetable oil and preheat the grill.
- Put the solid polenta on a cutting board by turning the baking sheet upside down over the cutting board. Cut the polenta into about 40 cubes.
- Grill the polenta cubes for about 2 minutes until it becomes slightly brown. Turn over all the cubes.
- Put each of the Gorgonzola set aside, on each of the polenta cubes.
- Grill for about 2 more minutes until the Gorgonzola melt.

View a picture of a prepared dish of grilled polenta with gorgonzola and know how it looks like.

Get more on recipes for making focaccia, chick pea hummus and marinated olives.

What do you think about these recipes? Let me know your views and suggestions through the comment box below. Your comments would be highly appreciated.