By Maria Filice • February 5, 2011 
One of my favorite greens is Spinich. Not only is it healthy (Vitamin A, C, Calcium, Iron), it is very simple to prepare! I prepare spinich the same way I prepare other greens like rapini(broccoli rabe).
Bring a large pot of water to boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Blanche the spinich by dipping into the boiling water for approx. 5 minutes. Drain the spinich in a colander.
In a medium pan, medium heat, add a tablespoon (or two) of olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic (sliced), a pinch of red chili flakes (optional), sautee for a minute. Add the spinch and sautee for two minutes. Ready to serve. Quick and easy!
Add a drizzle of olive oil,salt and black pepper (to taste). The perfect side with your favorite meats or fish. I also like to squeeze a little fresh lemon to spinich too!
If you have leftovers, it’s perfect with eggs – be creative!
a presto,
maria !
By Maria Filice • February 4, 2011 
The sweet smell of roasted peppers always bring me back to place of childhood. Towards end of Summer, neighbors, family and friends would roast excess peppers from the garden for jarring or freezing. Yesterday, I roasted some red peppers. For a moment, it felt like a moment of Summer but didn’t feel like Summer with our East Coast snow storms! It brought some warmth in the kitchen with the smell of oven roasted peppers. Either over roast or pan grill is another great option too!
Roasted peppers are very simple to prepare.
Preheat your oven at 450 degrees F.
Place 6-8 red peppers in an oven pan. Lightly coat the peppers with a drizzle of olive oil. Lightly season with salt. Roast the peppers, turning, until the skins blister and turn black on all sides.
Remove them from the oven and tightly cover the pan with foil or seal them in a a papper back until they cool. The secret to pealing the peppers with ease is the steam. The peppers will peel away very easily!
Slice the peppers in 1-inch strips and place them in a bowl. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and add a clove of garlic for flavoring I have also added red chili flakes for a little heat (optional of course).
Roasted peppers are great as a side dish or the perfect lunch or light dinner. Serve with fresh crusty bread or toasted bread. I served with peccorino cheese, black cured olives and some white wine (Trebbiano left over from the other day). Molto buono!
Roasted peppers are also featured in my book Breaking Bread in L’Aquila.
a presto,
maria
By Maria Filice • February 2, 2011 I love adding leftovers especially soup to other dishes. I’m visiting my folks and the leftover chicken soup from Monday was used for another variation: lentil-chicken soup.
Today was the perfect day for soup – after shovelling snow, something warm like soup was perfect!
My mother prepared lentils – dry lentils (boiled in salted water for 30 minutes). She drained the lentils and added to the leftover chicken soup from Monday. The chicken soup had small cuts of carrots, onion and celery.
Option: adding your favorite rice or pasta is also a nice change.
Optional: adding fresh parmigiano cheese is also great!
Don’t be afraid to add leftovers to something new!
a presto,
maria
By Maria Filice • February 1, 2011 This minestra was so delicious ….. mixing two vegetables: broccoli and romano beans.
My mother steamed broccoli first. Then in a medium skillet, she sauteed, olive oil, garlic, red chili flakes and the broccoli.
In a separate pot, she boiled the romano beans (added salt to the water and a bay leaf).
Once the beans were cooked (20 minutes), she added the beans to the broccoli with 1 cup of the bean broth. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately
Fresh parmigiano cheese is optional. Delicious, rustic and simple!
As an option, adding your favorite rice or short cut pasta is also good. Another dish!
By Maria Filice • January 31, 2011 
Nothing tastes better than a bowl of spaghetti prepared by mamma. This basic “go to” tomatoe sauce is also included in my book “Breaking Bread in L’Aquila”. My mother uses San Marzano tomatoes – tomatoes that she jars at the end of the summer.
Today, she added sautéed ground beef (leftover from yesterday) and added fresh basil and hot chili flakes (we like a little heat = we’re Calabrese) and freshly grated parmigiano cheese!
The perfect dish for any day of the week!
a presto,
maria
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