Discover 5 Italian recipes from Elena Venditteli Faita’s new book

We’ve all been waiting for it, finally here it is! Elena Vendittelli Faita launched her very first recipe book this week.

Elena’s kitchen invites us on a culinary journey with 80 of his best recipes.

“Welcome to my table, where each dish is a story, each bite, a chapter and each meal, a precious memory.”

To whet your appetite and give you a taste for cooking, here are 5 recipes from his book. A little preview that will surely make you want to run and buy it immediately!

1. Salsa Di Cristina (Cristina sauce)

This recipe will be the perfect accompaniment to your next pasta dishes. Made with baby spinach, ricotta, raisins and garnished with pine nuts and parmesan, this dish is comforting and delicious.

Ingredients

• 90 ml (6 tbsp.) olive oil, divided
• 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 300 g baby spinach
• 3 tbsp. tbsp dried grapes or dried cranberries
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 300 g fresh ricotta
• 3 tbsp. tablespoons of pine nuts, toasted in a pan or in the oven
• Parmesan, to taste

Preparation

1. Heat 4 tbsp. tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a frying pan. Add the onion and garlic.
2. Add the spinach and mix well.
3. Add the dried fruit. Salt and pepper. Mix.
4. Cook the pasta.
5. In a bowl, place the ricotta and salt. Add a little pasta cooking water and mash well with a fork to make the ricotta creamier.
6. Stir the spinach and dried fruit mixture into the ricotta. Mix well.
7. Toss with the pasta and garnish with pine nuts, remaining olive oil and a little parmesan.

2. Polpette Di Vitello (veal meatballs)

THE polpette di vitello are veal meatballs delicately prepared with ingredients typical of Italian cuisine. They are served with a rich and flavorful tomato sauce and garnished with fresh basil for an aromatic touch.

Ingredients

Sauce

• 60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
• 1 medium white or red onion, finely chopped
• 2 degermed garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 liters (8 cups) tomato coulis
• Salt
• 6 to 8 fresh basil leaves

Dumplings

• 300 g of ground veal
• 2 eggs
• 2 degermed garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 50 g (1/2 cup) grated parmesan or pecorino
• 60 g (1/2 cup) breadcrumbs or breadcrumbs
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) milk
• 2 tbsp. tablespoon of olive oil
• Salt

Preparation

Sauce

1. In a 28cm saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
2. Add the tomato coulis and bring to the boil. Salt. Reduce heat and simmer gently.

Dumplings

1. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients to make the meatballs. Coat your hands with olive oil and shape into balls the size of a golf ball.
2. Add the meatballs to the sauce. Let the sauce simmer over low heat, covered, for 30 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil.

Good to know!

It is best to cook the meatballs directly in the sauce, without grilling them in a pan first. Thus, they are much softer and the recipe is less fatty.

*You can use pecorino instead of parmesan. Pecorino is more flavorful, so the taste of the meatballs will be more spicy. *

3. Zuppa Di Finocchio E Ricotta (fennel and ricotta soup)

You will fall in love with this creamy and comforting Italian soup. This recipe highlights the fennel, which provides a slightly sweet and aniseed flavor, which is balanced by the creamy ricotta. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with parmesan and serve!

Ingredients

• 200 g flat fennel
• 2 liters (8 cups) chicken broth
• Salt and pepper
• 6 slices of baguette bread
• 1 clove of garlic
• Olive oil for assembly
• 300g ricotta
• 60 g (1/2 cup) grated parmesan

Preparation

1. Cut the fennel stalks and set aside.
2. Remove the outer layer of the fennel and cut off the base. Cut slices of approximately 1 cm or less.
3. In a 24cm saucepan, bring the stock to the boil and add the fennel. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the fennel stalks to the pan. Salt and pepper.
4. Grill the bread slices, rub them with the garlic clove and drizzle with olive oil.
5. Place a slice of bread in a deep plate.
6. Add a thin slice of ricotta, a spoonful of fennel and a ladle of broth.
7. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with parmesan.

4. Finocchio veloce (convenience store fennel)

“This very distinguished vegetable always has a place of honor in Italian cuisine. Throughout the country it is served in salads, stews and fried. I love it!” – Elena Venditteli Faita

Ingredients

• 60 g (1/4 cup) butter
• 2 large fennel bulbs, diced
• 250 ml (1 cup) vegetable broth
• 60 g (1/2 cup) grated pecorino
• Mill pepper
• Salt

Preparation

1. In a non-stick pan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the fennel and increase the heat to high.
2. Brown the fennel, then add the broth. Allow to evaporate completely.
3. Add the fennel to pasta or risotto, sprinkle with pecorino and generously pepper.
4. Salt to taste. Enjoy your food!

Good to know!

Serve with pasta or as a garnish for risotto.

5. Risotto ai funghi (mushroom risotto)

Mushroom risotto is a creamy and flavorful typically Italian dish. This recipe features button mushrooms, porcini, parmesan and more! This comforting dish is ideal for fall or winter.

Ingredients

• 2 liters (8 cups) hot chicken broth
• 75 ml (1/3 cup) olive oil
• 100 g (1/2 cup) butter, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 200 g button mushrooms, sliced
• 200 g porcini, sliced
• 400 g (2 cups) Carnaroli rice
• 250 ml (1 cup) white wine
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 75 ml (1/3 cup) 35% cream
• 60 g (1/2 cup) grated parmesan

Preparation

1. Place the broth in a saucepan over low heat to keep it hot until the end of cooking.
2. In a 28cm sauté pan, over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and half the butter. Brown the onion for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until the water has completely evaporated. Add the rice and brown it with the other ingredients for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium and add the wine. Leave to reduce until dry.
3. Add the broth a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly. Let the rice cook before adding the next ladleful. Salt and pepper.
4. When the rice is almost al dente, turn off the heat. Add the rest of the butter and the cream and mix. Add a ladle of broth if needed.
5. Add the parmesan. Serve very hot.

Good to know!

ADVICE – Always keep the broth hot, on a lit ring, next to the risotto pan. Cold broth would stop the rice from cooking.

VARIANT – Replace the cream with 2 tablespoons of mascarpone, or with the same quantity of creamy gorgonzola.

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