White asparagus carpaccio - carpaccio di asparagi bianchi

White asparagus are a real treat, and the most famous are from Bassano, in Veneto. I got a bunch for my birthday, the Bassano bunches are quite big so we made a few meals out of them: I tried the alla Bassanese and also al burro, but nothing beats a carpaccio, simply made with:

raw white asparagus, cleaned and thinly sliced

Rocket salad (rucola)

Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano

to dress: extra virgin olive oil, salt and (optional) balsamic vinegar.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Red Beetroot risotto with Parmigiano Reggiano and Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena, step by step

   This is a super risotto, I am so proud of it!! I made the recipe many years ago for a magazine but I used shaved Parmigiano, but I think that cut into chunks is better. Start like for all good risottos, with plenty of butter and a chopped onion (I used a red one to keep the colour scheme!).

When the onion sizzle add the rice (I used arborio) and stir well: for a good risotto the fat at the beginning is important so make sure that the rice absorbs well the butter. Make really hot to the touch. 

Boil and peeled three small/medium beetroots (or a very large one) and cut into cubes.

Add the cubes to the rice and stir until hot. Remember that the rice has to be hot before you add the stock!

Add the stock (vegetable in my case) ladle by ladle, and stir often, adding more stock when needed.

The risotto is ready! Wow, look at the colour!

Cut the Parimigiano Reggiano into small chunks with a Parmigiano knife. Get your Balsamic ready: this is a 25 years old Tradizionale, truly spectacular!

Dish the risotto, add the Parmigiano and a drizzle of Balsamico.

This was just amazing!

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Quiche with spinach, parmigiano and cumin seeds

This is an easy dish using two of my favourite ingredients: Parmigiano and cumin seeds. For the base I use some frozen short crus pastry, topped with chopped and cooked spinach and chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano and sprinkled with cumin seeds. Then I mixed eggs, cream and a pinch of salt, pour it over and baked the quiche until golden on top and with a crispy pastry. The Parmigiano and cumin seeds pairing worked really well, definitely something to make again!

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Zuppa alla Cipolla Rossa, Timo e crosta di Parmigiano - Red onion, thyme and parmesan crust soup

This is real 'cucina povera', a simple dish made with humble ingredients and leftovers. Chop two red onions and sauté with a couple of tbsp of olive oil and some fresh thyme. Add 1 litre of vegetable stock and one or two crusts of parmesan cheese. Simmer until the onions and the parmesan crusts are soft.

At this point you can either remove the parmesan crusts and cut off the softest parts (to put back into the soup), or keep simmering the lot until the crusts are really really soft (you will need to add another half a litre of water). I usually use only the softest part and then cut the rest of the crust (which is a bit chewy) for the cats. Dogs also love it!  Blend everything with an immersion blender and serve with some home made bread!

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©