THESE MODERN MEDITERRANEAN dishes will solve your dinner dilemma any night of the week.
As the cook and nutritionist behind popular social media account From My Little Kitchen, Melanie Lionello will take rustic-style food made with everyday ingredients over fine dining any day.
Her debut cookbook is a joyful celebration of her accessible food philosophy and her Italian heritage, anchored by her expert focus on healthy eating. Inspired by the Italian peasant diet, cucina povera, the 101 recipes naturally fit with a busy lifestyle and set budget.
Creamy garlic chicken gnocchi
Creamy garlic chicken gnocchi ticks every single box I can think of. Protein-packed. High in fibre. Affordable. Creamy. Garlicky. Potato. One-pan. Delicious. Proceed with caution – you might fall in love, just like I have!
SERVES: 4
Ingredients
- 6–8 (800g) boneless chicken thighs, skin on
- 30g smoked paprika
- 60ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 6 garlic cloves, sliced
- 250g frozen spinach cubes
- 500g shop-bought potato gnocchi
- 750ml-1 litre (3-4 cups) chicken stock (adjust based on desired consistency)
- 60ml (¼ cup) thickened (heavy) cream, or to taste (optional – I love this recipe both with and without, so you can enjoy it either way)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- lemon wedges, to serve
- Preheat the oven to 170°C fan-forced.
- Place the chicken in a bowl and sprinkle with the paprika, ensuring all sides are coated.
- Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over medium–high heat. Place the spiced chicken thighs skin-side down in the pan. Sear for about 4-5 minutes each side until the skin is golden brown and crispy. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- To the same pan, add the onion and cook for 5-6 minutes until softened and slightly caramelised. Add the garlic and cook for a further 1-2 minutes until fragrant but not browned. Add the frozen spinach cubes to the pan and stir until they start to thaw.
- Pour in 750ml (3 cups) of the chicken stock and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in the uncooked potato gnocchi, distributing it evenly in the pan. Place the seared chicken thighs on top of the gnocchi, skin-side up.
- Transfer the pan to the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the gnocchi is tender.
- After baking, remove the chicken thighs from the pan and set them aside.
- If using, stir the cream (add more if desired) into the gnocchi and spinach mixture until the sauce becomes creamy and coats the gnocchi. Add more stock if the sauce is too thick and season with salt and pepper. Return the chicken thighs to the pan or plate them separately. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the dish and serve immediately.
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 day, or freeze the chicken and sauce for up to 3 months, but cook the gnocchi fresh.
Hazelnut Tiramisu
I’m what you would call a ‘tiramisu enthusiast’. I live and breathe for this dessert. It originated in Treviso in the region of Veneto (where my family is from), highlighting the ingredients most Trevisani have – dairy, eggs and wine. My love affair with tiramisu started young because my nonna would make this for every occasion. Never mind that it was full of caffeine or marsala – to Nonna it’s ‘good for you’ regardless of age because it has ‘eggsa’ and ‘chiss’. I call that ‘Nonna logic’. These days I make a kid-friendly version for my nieces and nephews with decaf coffee or hot chocolate, and the plate always comes back empty. This version is for the adults, a twist on the classic, and includes one of my favourite flavours: hazelnut.
SERVES: 6
Ingredients
- 4 eggs, separated
- 120g caster (superfine) sugar
- 380g mascarpone
- 600ml coffee, cooled to the touch (see Notes)
- 15g unsweetened cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting (see Notes)
- 60ml (¼ cup) hazelnut liqueur, e.g. Frangelico or hazelnut syrup (see Notes)
- 24-26 Savoiardi (sponge/lady finger) biscuits (depending on your serving dish)
- 20g dark chocolate (minimum of 70% cocoa)
- 60g (½ cup) finely chopped roasted hazelnuts
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks using an electric hand mixer. This will take 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
- In another clean mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with the caster sugar using an electric mixer until pale and thick – this should take about 3-4 minutes. Add the mascarpone and continue to beat for no longer than 15-20 seconds. The longer you beat this mixture, the firmer it will get, so beat it only until it’s just combined.
- Gently fold the whites into the mascarpone mixture in two batches using a large spoon or spatula, being careful not to knock out too much air (see Notes). Set aside.
- In a shallow dish, combine the cooled coffee with the cocoa and hazelnut liqueur. Dip the Savoiardi biscuits briefly into the coffee mixture one at a time, just enough to soak the surface without the biscuits becoming soggy. Arrange a layer of soaked biscuits in the base of your serving dish. You will need to work quickly to avoid losing your biscuits into the coffee mixture. Before moving to the next step, gently touch each biscuit; if you feel resistance, spoon a little coffee mixture over the top. You don’t want dry biscuits.
- Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over and smooth the top.
- Repeat with another layer of soaked biscuits and the remaining mascarpone mixture, smoothing the surface again.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- When ready to serve, dust the top generously with cocoa powder. Grate or finely shave the dark chocolate over the top and scatter with the chopped hazelnuts. Serve chilled.
- Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
- This is traditionally made with stovetop Moka coffee, but French-press is also suitable. Try to avoid espresso, as it’s more bitter and stronger in flavour.
- Use Dutch-process cocoa powder, not raw cacao powder. Raw cacao powder is not strong enough in flavour for this dessert.
- You can find hazelnut syrup in the coffee section at most supermarkets – it’s the kind of syrup that many people add
to lattes. - If there are some white lumps of egg, that’s okay. It’s better to keep the air in your mixture and have it a little lumpy rather than risk knocking the air out in order to get a perfectly smooth mixture. Once you let your tiramisu settle in the fridge, the lumps will disperse, and you’ll never know they were there!
Images and text from Easy Italian Dinners From My Little Kitchen by Melanie Lionello, photography by Mark Roper, published by Murdoch Books, RRP: $45.00.
