Exploring Italy through food: Delicious Italian recipes

Insalata siciliana. Sicily.   

Ingredients for 2 persons:
2 medium sweet juicy oranges, 1 large fennel, 1/2 cup pitted black olives, 1/2 red onion, olive oil, salt, ground pepper. 

Preparation:
Peel well the oranges and slice them into thin round pieces. 
Wash the fennel and take off its stem or any external parts that might be too hard to chew. Cut it into thin slices. 
Place the fennel slices together with the orange pieces in a dish. Decorate with a few olives and some chopped onion on top. Season with olive oil, salt and pepper. 
 

Panzanella. Tuscany.   

Ingredients for 2 persons:
Few slices of old Tuscan bread, 2 large ripe tomatoes, ½ small red sweet onion, 1 medium cucumber, 1 small pepper (ideally yellow), 5 or 6 fresh basil leaves, olive oil, vinegar, salt, ground pepper. 

Preparation:
Slice the tomatoes, cucumber, pepper and onion into small pieces. Place them in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Cut the bread into small bites or pieces and soak them for a few seconds in order to become slightly softer. They need to be soft but not soggy. Then place them in the bowl.
Add the basil and mix all the ingredients together. Season with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Pesto Genovese. Liguria.

Ingredients for 2 persons:
1 cup fresh basil leaves, washed and dried thoroughly, 1 tablespoon pine nuts, 1 garlic clove, 30 g. grated Parmigiano Reggiano, 18 g. Pecorino Sardo or Romano, olive oil, salt.  

Preparation:
Peel and crush the garlic clove using a mortar, a pestle or a blender and place it in a bowl. 
Crush the pine nuts and then mix them with the garlic. Add the basil leaves gradually, making circular movements until a smooth paste forms.
Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and pecorino cheese to the mix and keep making circular movements.
Stir in the olive oil and the salt until evenly mixed.
Once ready, serve it with your favourite pasta.

Buon appetito!    

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