Fried rice with vegetables and eggs

The other day I had some boiled rice. So I made ​​a dish that I like so much in the japanese and chinese restaurants - fried rice with vegetables and eggs. Usually you can take it with fish, chicken or other meats. I decided that since I'm on a diet, it will be without meat)) 

Fried rice is easy to  prepare and does not require much time. 

You will need: 

• boiled rice, basmati rice is better, but any is ok - 350g for two portions - the rice should already be cold! 
• 1 onion 
• 2 cloves of garlic 
• 1 carrot 
• half or a quarter of a paprika 
• green peas (I used frozen)
• 2 eggs 
• teriyaki sauce 
• sesame seeds
• oil, salt, pepper 

Better use, of course, wok, but I don't have it, so I used ordinary frying pan. 

Squeeze out the garlic and finely chop the onion, then fry them until onions became lightly golden and transparent. 

I pulverize carrot in a blender. You can cut it small pieces. Then add it into the pan. 

Then finely chop the paprika and add to the pan.  After a minute - put green peas. 

Add the rice and mix well. I also add a teriyaki sauce and sesame seeds. 

At this time, beat up two eggs, and fry them muddling constantly. 

Then add to the rice. 

That's all done! Bon appetit!

Rice, potatoes and mussels - Riso, patate e cozze

Yes, this plate is called very simple - Rice, potatoes and mussels. It has a short name too - tajeddha - with an indescribable accent on last "DDHA", like somewhere there "r" is hidden, but this name is in dialect))  In other dialect it's called teglia

So it is very tasty, I can't say that it is very simple to cook, but in general, it's a simple enough and it is typical plate of Salento, where I'm living. Salento - this is the south of the Puglia region, the heel of italian shoe) Here indescribably mixed traditions since ancient time of Romans and Greeks, left their trace Messapi, we are not talking about Turks ... Well, in general, it's the pot of cultures. That, of course, has left its mark in cousine too. 

Tajeddha has to be cooked in the oven or better in the wood oven. We cook it in the oven at the beach house. 

At this time, I disn't cook it - because I had to made photography, so the recipe is not my original. The difference I will explain too. There are many different recipes, each women has it's own) Some women add even sliced ​​zucchini. 

You will need (honestly, never know exact proportions, because we always prepare  tajeddha for 20 people). 

• potatoes, 
• Arborio rice (better not parboiled ) 
• onion, 
• cherry tomatoes 
• mussels, 
• parsley, 
• grated cheese (which is available - Parmesan, Grana Padano, or similar), 
• Pepper, salt and olive oil 
• garlic (in my recipe) 

Nuance about mussels - we order the mussels already opened, but if you have them closed, throw them for a minute in the pan with a little of water and they will open. Remove one half. Water do not throw out - you will need it. 

Peel the potatoes and cut it into thin slices or semi-round, if potatoe is big. 

Mix it in a bowl with grated cheese 

finely chop the parsley

Mix it with the potatoes and season with a little olive oil, pepper and chop a few tomatoes. Leave on for half an hour. 

I my recipe: I mix the potatoes with sliced ​​garlic, olive oil, tomatoes - put more tomatoes than on the photo - and quite a bit of parsley and a little salt. I add a little water to make broth, which we then use too. 

Cut the onion into thin half-rings 

Put it in water

Thus, we begin to prepare the form for oven. Grease the bottom with the olive oil and put a thin layer of the onion. 

Then a thin layer of potatoes

Then mussels

Sprinkle the rice. It is important to cover the mussels with rice. I prefer to use normal rice for risotto, not parboiled rice - because it better absorbs the taste of food. Parboiled rice is better as a simple garniture. But the women who cooked prefeir parboiled. 

Then, in the same order put all the second time, without onion. Finish with potatoes on the top and cover with cheese. Pour salted water or water from the mussels till the level of potatoes. 

Cook on 200 degrees for about 45 minutes - 1 hour, see by yourself when potatoes are cooked. 

That's what we've got) 

Risotto with pumpkin

Today I bought a pumpkin. It's been a long time since I wrote a post about Italian recipes. So today I decided to cook Risotto con la zucca for a dinner and write about it. I love the flavor of this simple recipe and this is why I would like to share it with you. It's very easy to cook! It takes approximately 30-35 minutes total!

You will need:
100 g butter/3,5 oz
1 onion
2 liters of vegetables broth/68 fl oz
400 gr of pumpkin/14 oz
350 gr of rice/12 oz
salt and pepper, to taste

Clean and cut the pumpkin.

Put cut pumpkin in a pot with water and cook about 10-13 minutes.

Remove pumpkin from water keeping the broth. I usually add some vegetables (onion, carot, smallage, potatos, tomatoes – whatever I have available) and cook a vegetable broth. Puree the pumpkin adding a little broth.

Add butter to a wide pot and heat up. Add the finely chopped onion and let it cook a little.

Now add the rice and fry it slightly. Reduce heat to low. At this point you can add a little  white wine. When rice absorbs the liquid add about 1/3 of the broth and and stir it with rice.

Then add pumpkin and stir it with rice.

When rice absorbs the broth again, add more broth (a little at a time) and cook until it reduces. Add salt and pepper. Stir it often till the rice will absorb all liquid. When the risotto is creamy and not al dente, cover the pot with a lid for one to two minutes. Risotto is ready!

Before serving you can grate the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and stir with risotto.