Wednesday calls for comfort food!!!Zucchini tomato and rice soup

 

Ingredients:

• 4 zucchini
• a tomato ( or ready tomato sauce)
• 1 garlic clove
• 20 gr of butter
• 150 gr of rice 
• 1 lt of stock cube's broth
•  grated parmesan cheese
• pepper and salt

How to make it:

1. Wash zucchini, peel them and cut them into small bits, in a bowl.
2. In a pan melt the butter, add the garlic clove, and brown it on low heat. 
3. Remove the garlic and add the zucchini chops.
4. Brown them, and gradually add tomato sauce. Mix slowly with a woden spoon.
5. Pour the broth in the pan, put the lid on the pan and wait for the broth to boil.
6. Once it's boiling, low the heat for 10 minutes.
7. Add the rice and let it cook, mixing every now and then.
8. Serve the soup warm, grate on some parmesan cheese and sprinkle some pepper and salt.
9. Enjoy!

Curry rice with carrots

 

Curry basmati rice with carrots

I had never tried to make curry rice...So I thought it was the right moment to make some!

I didn't follow the original recipe, as I was distrustful towards the almonds and raisins used on my cook book.So I only used the carrots..and who knows, next time I may try it with almonds or raisins!

Anyway, it was nothing hard to do and I admit, the taste of curry it's something I really like,maybe because it's such a new spice to me. The reason why I have never tried to make curry rice, it 's mainly due to Italy's long tradition of several ways to cook rice..there are really endless italian recipes with rice!

But now, let's get to the point: the recipe. I am gonna give you the original version, but remember...I didn't use almonds nor raisins! Here you are:

All you need is...yes, you also need love in kitchen! :-)

• 250 g Basmati rice
• 2 middle sized carrots
• 150 g raisins
• 150 g almonds
• 1 glass of milk
• curry powder
• extra-virgin olive oil
• salt
• black pepper
  

1. Put raisins in a bowl full of warm water and leave them there for about 15 minutes.
2. Peel and cut carrots into thin sticks.
3. Pour 5 spoons of extra-virgin olive oil in a big sized nonstick pan, let it warm and add the carrot sticks. Mix and cook on medium heat for about 6 minutes, slowly adding a spoon of water.
4. Chop the almonds and in a separate pan, toast them for about 2 minutes, keep mixing, in order not to burn them!
5. Now strain the raisins and add them to the carrot sticks. Add also the almonds.
6. Bring to a boil abundant water, add salt and cook rice, al dente.
7. With a spoon, take some water from the pan and  pour it in a cup/glass, to which you'll add a spoon of curry (or two). Mix it, until it looks homogenous.
8. Strain the rice, put it in the pan and add all the curry, mix and gradually pour the milk. Leave it on medium heat until the rice will look bright yellow and all the ingredients (carrots, almonds,raisins) will form a creamy mixture.
9. Serve warm.

I hope you liked, and hope to have explained well!!!