Roasted olives with fennel

Once you taste roasted olives, you'll wonder why you haven't roasted them before.

Ingredients:

20 tablespoons of black olives and green olives
4 tablespoons of dried (or fresh) fennel flowers or dill flowers
4 tablespoons of  peperoncino  (Italian peppers)
8 teaspoons of  fresh oregano
olive oil

Preparation:

Make 2-3 small cuts, with a knife in the pulp of olives and then soak one hour and 30 minutes in cold water. You should change the water every 30 minutes. Drain the water and let the olives dry (or drying them with a towel).

Lay the olives in a pan and place it in oven at a temperature of 100 °C until olives become wrinkled. Before 5 minutes to be ready, add the fennel flowers and mix well.

Remove from oven and let cool. When cool, put into a jar with peperoncino and oregano and then cover completely with olive oil. The olive oil should cover the bottom of the jar. Cover and store the jar for at least 24 hours before serving.

Roasted eggplant with mint

The recipe is easy and quick to prepare. This roasted eggplant with mint is a great addition to your menu.

Ingredients:

12 mini eggplant
4 cloves of garlic

1 bunch of fresh mint leaves 

4 tablespoons olive oil

5 tablespoons white wine vinegar
salt
freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

Wash eggplant and cut into slices. Spread the slices out and sprinkle both sides generously with salt. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons of salt for a medium sized eggplant. After salting, place the slices in a colander and allow the slices to stand for 1/2 to 1 hour. Place the colander in the sink or in a bowl during the standing time so moisture can drain. Once the slices have sat for the appropriate time, wipe the salt from the slices with a paper towel. Do not rinse off with water because that will cause the eggplant to absorb moisture back into it. Pat the slices dry with paper towels.

Cut garlic into long strips and place two of rounds of garlic in each eggplant slices. Make a sauce of olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper, mixing all in blender. Add mint leaves in the sauce and mixing.

Lay the eggplant on a sheet pan and toss with the sauce. Place in oven at a temperature of 180 °C for 30 minutes. You do not need to flip them during roasting.

Transfer eggplant to a plate and drizzle with the pan juices.

When do you carve the meat cooked at oven....?

The meat should rest outside the oven for 10 to 15 minutes before you carve it. Carve the meat exactly when you want to serve, if carve it before serving, the meat loses juicy and it become dry.

Bassano del Grappa

I read an article on honestcooking.com "On the Italy Food and Wine Trail: Bassano del Grappa" and I remembered Bassano.....  I liked the post about this great city and I want to share it with you, so please click on the following link:

http://honestcooking.com/2012/05/14/on-the-italy-food-and-wine-trail-bassano-del-grappa/

Where is Bassano del Grappa? It is a city in the province of Vicenza, region Veneto, in northern Italy.
Bassano has been famous for its asparagus at least since the mid 1500's: a receipt from 1534 lists asparagus among the delicacies purchased for a banquet. Asparagus tasting is almost a religion in Bassano, everyone has something to say about the correct way to serve it. 

  
You have to go there and taste asparagus "the Bassano way"!

Foto's van mijn