Italialicious

When you go to an Italian restaurant, you will always see insalata mista among the contorni or side dishes. Insalata mista is nothing other than a garden salad, where different greens and other vegetables are mixed together. In this salad I combine two of my favorite Italian greens: arugula and radicchio. Add some oven-baked salmon to this insalata mista and you’ll have a complete light meal!

Ingredients
4 salmon filets (1 inch thick)
4 tsp mustard
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Arugula
Radicchio
Olive oil

Dressing
½ cup store-bought balsamic dressing
2 Tbsp mustard
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Mix the balsamic vinegar with 4 tsp mustard. Brush the salmon filets with this marinade. Drizzle the salmon filets with some olive oil and bake them in a 450F preheated oven for about 15 minutes. Mix the arugula with the shredded radicchio and put the greens onto a serving plate. On top set the salmon, cut into bite-size pieces. For the dressing of this salad, just go the quick and simple way: mix your favorite store-bought balsamic dressing with some mustard and lemon juice!

Zesty roasted asparagus
1 bunch asparagus
3 Tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2 Tbsp olive oil
Lemon zest
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Clean the asparagus, discard the tough stem ends. Peel the bottom part of the asparagus if the stems are too thick. Drizzle the asparagus with olive oil and put them in a single layer on a sheet pan. Sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper and just a touch of salt on top. Roast the asparagus in a 400F preheated oven for about 12 minutes. Take out of the oven, sprinkle with the lemon zest and the cheese. Return the asparagus to the oven and roast for a couple of minutes until the cheese turns nice and golden. Drizzle with freshly squeezed lemon juice before serving.


Rustic mashed sweet potatoes with ricotta cheese
2 lbs sweet potatoes
1 ½ cup ricotta cheese
2/3 cup milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt, pepper

Roast, microwave or boil the sweet potatoes until tender. When the sweet potatoes are ready, mash them roughly. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, add the ricotta cheese and the milk, and stir. When the ricotta gets warm, add the mashed sweet potatoes, the pumpkin puree, salt and pepper. Pour in some olive oil, give a quick stir and serve!

A nice way to celebrate this Labor Day weekend is by hitting the grill one more time before the end of summer. Tuna is perfect for grilling, and it takes almost no time to prepare.

Ingredients
4 Tuna steaks
Juice of 1 lemon
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 lemon, cut into quarters
Italian parsley
Salt, pepper

Wash and dry the tuna steaks. Prepare a quick marinade using the lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. Let the tuna steak marinate for about 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper, and grill the tuna for about 2 minutes per side if you like it rare. Serve with a grilled lemon wedge and chopped Italian parsley. You can use the lemon quarters to add fresh juice over your tuna steaks.

You can serve it with a grilled watermelon and mâche salad. Mâche is a very popular green in France. In fact, it was king Louis XIV who loved it and made it a must in French cuisine. For this salad, grill some nice watermelon chunks for a couple of minutes, and then put the warm watermelon on top of the mâche. Dress simply by adding lemon juice and olive oil.

Tip
Tuna is very popular in the islands of Sicily and Sardinia.