Easy and Fresh First Courses Spring Recipes
Spring is just around the corner, and so are its beautiful colours! For this reason, we have gathered our favorite fresh and seasonal first courses recipes that you can enjoy without putting too much effort into your kitchens!
ITALIAN FREGOLA PASTA WITH SEAFOOD AND VEGETABLES
A Sardinian inspired and based recipe, that is incredibly tasty and healthy. Excellent both hot and cold, to take to the beach, at work or to enjoy as a delicious fresh summer dinner.
INGREDIENTS
4 Courgettes
4 Courgettes Flowers
15 Argentine Prawns
10 Clams
15 Mussels
4/5 Tomatoes (we have used Italian Datterino tomatoes)
100g of Fregola Pasta
2/3 Basil Leaves
3 Garlic Cloves
White Wine (to cook)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
DIRECTIONS
Prepare a seafood broth by using the shrimp heads, 1 clove of garlic, 4/5 tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Let it boil for about 10 minutes, then turn the fire off and leave to cool down.
Heat 2 cloves of garlic in a pan with extra virgin olive oil and add the courgettes, cook them for 2 minutes and then add the fregola pasta that you will toast for only 2 minutes.
Blend 1/2 glass of white wine and keep stirring with a wooden spoon as it if was a risotto.
After about 6/7 minutes, add the prawns and cook them for 5 minutes and then add the tomatoes, the mussels and the clams. Cook everything for another 5 minutes.
Towards the end of the cooking, add the courgette flowers and cook them for 2 minutes.
When everything is cooked and warm, let your fregola pasta rest in a pan for about 5 to10 minutes before eating it (this will allow the flavours to perfectly blend).
Buckwheat gnocchi with asparagus and pistachio pesto
This recipe was created by Chef Mimi 2.0 (Healthy Food Content Creator) in collaboration with P Care (Medical and Health Care Centre)
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE GNOCCHI
70 g of Buckwheat Flour
1 Egg
1 Pinch of Salt
1 tablespoon of Water
FOR THE PESTO
20 Thin Asparagus or 12 large ones
2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
10 Basil Leaves
2 teaspoons of Chopped Pistachios (or 1 handful of whole)
DIRECTIONS
Create the dough for your gnocchi by spreading the flour, the salt and the egg on a plain and clean surface (mix the flour and egg first and then finish with one or two tablespoons of water). Work the flour for about 10 minutes to allow the ingredients to perfectly blend together and to obtain a soft and smooth dough.
Roll out your dough into 3/4 long logs of about 2 cm thick and cut them into small pieces (add some extra dough if the mix results too sticky).
After blanching the asparagus for 5 min, put them in a bowl together with the basil, the pistachio and the olive oil and blend everything with an immersion blender for a couple of minutes.
Cook the gnocchi for about 5 to 7 minutes (they are not like the normal gnocchi, meaning that once that they come to the surface, they are ready to be drained), these take a little more to cooking. In fact, we recommend to wait at least 5 minutes, taste them and if the consistency feels good, drain them!
Once drained, mix the gnocchi with your fresh and just made pesto with 2 tablespoons of cooking water.
Blend all of the ingredients together and then top your pasta with a sprinkle of chopped pistachios!
If you do not have time to make homemade gnocchi, you can either buy them or pair this delicious pesto with normal buckwheat pasta!
Risotto with blueberries, sheep's milk ricotta and thyme
This recipe was created by Chef Mimi 2.0 (Healthy Food Content Creator) in collaboration with P Care (Medical and Health Care Centre)
Ingredients
100 g of fresh Blueberries
100 g of Sheep Ricotta
Fresh Thyme Leaves
60/ 100 g of Wholemeal Basmati Rice
DIRECTIONS
Boil the blueberries with some water together with a few thyme leaves and then turn the heat off.
Let everything rest for a few minutes and then use a wooden spoon to mash the blueberries until you obtain a purple cream/ puree. At this stage, boil the blueberries again and cook them over medium / high heat for 2/3 minutes until they become of a denser consistency.
Cook your basmati rice and then drain it and sauté it in a pan for 2 minutes with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Add your blueberry compote and your sheep's ricotta cheese to the rice and mix everything together.
Advice for serving: Keep a little blueberry puree and a little ricotta cheese on the side to colourfully decorate your dish and top it up with a few more thyme leaves!
Sicilian pesto PASTA
This recipe will take you straight to Sicily, with this unique and next level pesto pasta! Tasty, fresh and fit!
ingredients:Recipe (for 2 people)
40 g of Almonds
10 Basil Leaves
40 g of Parmesan Cheese
200 g of slowly oven-dried Tomatoes
DIRECTIONS
After having chopped everything with an immersion mixer, add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
On a baking tray, place the tomatoes by drying them slowly at 150 * for an hour! Xxx
Choose your pasta, we have used the typical “caserecce” xxx and bring to boil in a medium pan in hot water (check your cooking time on the confezione xx)
Wait until cooked, then drain the pasta and stir in the pesto together with 1/2 of cooking water.
Add your oven- dried tomatoes and enjoy this wonderful dish!
Spaghetti with cashew, rocket and basil pesto
An idea for a quick dinner, to die for and also healthy
INGREDIENTS
Your favorite pasta (we have used spaghetti)
10 leaves of Basil
30 Cashews
Garlic (optional)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
DIRECTIONS
First of all, soak the cashews in a little bowl with some warm water for 15 minutes. Then try them and put them into a mixer with two handfuls of wild rocket, a good handful of basil, and 2 large spoons of extra virgin olive oil. If you like garlic, you can add a clove of it as well.
If you love cheese and would like to have a creamier texture and flavour, add in some Parmesan or pecorino cheese in the mixer and mix everything until well blended.
Cook the pasta in hot boiling water, then drain it and stir it for a few minutes in a large pan with the pesto sauce and 1/2 tablespoon of cooking water.
Serve warm and enjoy this incredible summer pasta!