Allora Cuciniamo!

Secondhand rattan set found online in the balcony

Now that the dining table and oven are in, we wasted no time to cook! L is un monstro a cucinare - he's a good cook but the only thing is guys don't clean up after themselves and it drives me slightly mad when he leaves stuff everywhere. Ok I'm the neat freak lol. To date, we had 3 groups of friends who came and it was truly enjoyable to entertain them.

The JC girlies came last Saturday for lunch and L whipped up Baked penne pasta with cauliflower in a creamy butter sauce and Roasted potatoes in butter.  I woke up late and came up with an impromptu recipe - and it was a hit; even L loved it and went for seconds. So I will share it here - it's easy to prepare as long as you have a oven.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms
Serves 4

Ingredients:
6 Portobello mushrooms (small to medium size)
Half cup of Japanese breadcrumbs (sold in a pack at most supermarkets)
2 tbsp Grated parmesan cheese (or grated hard mozzarella cheese will do)
1 handful Rocket leaves (chopped roughly)
2 tbsp Onions - finely chopped
1 clove Garlic - finely chopped
2 tbsp Unsalted butter
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

Method:
1. In a bowl, mix well the breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, rocket leaves, onions, garlic, 2 pinches of salt, 2 pinches of cracked black pepper, and olive oil.

2. Stuff a tablespoon of mixture into each portobello mushroom. Grill or bake at 200 deg C for about 20 mins till the mushrooms are cooked anbd golden brown (see pictures below). You can serve them as starters with bread or with main courses, or with fresh rocket leaves and cherry tomatoes. Yummers!

Carla's recipes