Hello, I'm an Italian person.

In this column I will be writing easy, quick recipes, using what you can find in every supermarket.

I won't bother you with strange and "exotic" food like "mortadella", "zucchini's flowers" or "soppressata".

I'll leave to talk about them to all those people who want to sell you a "lifestyle"!


And by the way, I apologise for my "chewed English"!


Antonella Caputo

Why Buy a Convenience Food?

Time is money. Even if your bank account looks a hopeless black hole, save time seems the best way for economizering. The problem is: where can you find wasted time for turning it into safe time? The first step usually is leave the car and use the buses: it could seem a contradiction, but if you live in a big city you know for experience that half of your day is spent looking for parking for your car. So the bus it's healthy (you have to walk to the bus stop in a smog polluted clouds, but that's it), you can save the fee for parking place, and above all you can save time.

But after a month you are stressed because you have to wait for ages for the bus. When it rains you become wet and there is always a "talented driver" who seems have a great fun to scout puddles right in front of you and drive into them, and it happens always when are dressed up for special events.

You must find other wasted time in your life.

The idea usually comes to you when you are spreaded on the settee watching TV: someone, young, pretty, healthy, with a bunch of friends - nice, gentle, polite, in few words the best gang of friends you can dream of - having a fun in a kitchen.

The friends are ecstatic expression looking at that those gorgeous foods in their plates, while you are thinking about the time needed for making all that, a nice, warm, charming voice points to you that you can enjoy yourself and your friends in easy way: buy convenience food. Someone else lost his time chopping, peeling vegetables, some one else, lost his time frying, boiling, steaming meat, fish and so on. Some one else lost his time looking for the right amount of salt and spices - you know how much it's important the right amount of spice they can destroy in a bit your "masterpiece". You can save your time, and being a good guest for your friends, with only one step: to buy convenience food. You have all the chose you want: Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, Indian... all you have to do it's to take the tray off from the packet and stick it in the oven.

You can be sure that it will be perfect, and you have save time. I'm not sure if you have save money as well, but this is another story. In the meantime waiting for some one who will put the perfect friends in a packet, so you can warm them up when you feel sad, why don't you try these recipes?

RUSSIAN SALAD
To serve 4

2 big potatoes
2 hard boiled eggs
2 carrots
100 gm of peas
200 gm of cauliflower
100 gm of runner beans
50 gm of canned cucumber (in brine)
1 tin of mayonnaise
salt

Boil separately the potatoes, peas, cauliflower, runner beans, add the salt in the boiling water. Boil the eggs. When all is ready, leave to cool off. When they are cold, dice the vegetables, the egg and the canned cucumber. Put all in a bowl and add the mayonnaise. Toss gently. When it is all mixed, put the mix on a serving plate shaping the mix as a dome. you can serve as appetizer

LITTLE MEAT BALLS WITH SURPRISE!!
To serve 4

400 gm of mince meat
3 eggs
salt
pepper
parsley a pinch
sage a pinch
peppermint a pinch
2 slices of bread (remove crusts)
milk (how much you need)
toasted bread crumbs
50 gm of cheese (you must chose one which melts well)
oil for frying

In a plate put the slices of bread and pour on them the milk, they must be wet not damp. Squeeze them with your hands, taking off the milk.

Cut the cheese into little bits.

In a bowl put the minced meat, add 2 eggs, the slices of bread. A Add seasoning and the spices. Stir the mixture with fork.

Using a spoon pick a little bit of the mix up, roll the mix in your hands until you have a little ball. If you notice the mix is too wet add little bits of bread. You must have the consistency right for handling the mix. With a finger push inside the ball a little piece of cheese. Roll again the ball.

Prepare in this way all the mixture. In a plate mix the remaining egg with salt and pepper, Using a spoon roll each ball into the egg until it is sticky, then roll it into the breadcrumbs. Prepare all the little balls in this way. In a frying pan pour the oil and warm up. When it is warm enough put the little balls and fry them, turning frequently until they are golden brown all over.

Serve warm as main course

MUSHROOMS IN THE OVEN

choose big mushrooms -- 1 each person or 2 if they are not so big
2 cloves of garlic
parsley
salt
pepper
oil

Clean the mushroom, take the stalk off.
Chop the garlic in little bits, and mix with the parsley salt, pepper
Put the mix into the "hat" of the mushrooms
Put the mushrooms in an oven tray. Oiling with generosity
Put in the oven for 15 minutes at gas mark 2
Put in the fridge for 1 hour before to serve

Serve as side dish for a main course.

STRAWBERRY in lemon sauce

300 gm of strawberries
the juice of 1 lemon
2 spoons of sugar

Wash the strawberries. Cut them in four parts. Put them in a bowl, add the lemon juice and the sugar. Leave them until ready to serve.