My Secret Mediterranean Diet Recipes I'd Like to Share

There is a lot of misinformation about cholesterol. It’s important to consider that the 75% of the cholesterol is produced by your body. Now let’s examine some simple recipes from Sicily to lower the remaining 25%.

The only foods to look with more attentions are those one high in saturated fats or hydrogenated oils….sure don’t present in the Mediterranean diet foods.

Homemade pizza

For the dough

* 1 heaped cup flour
* 1 level teaspoon dry yeast
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the homemade pizza toppings

* 2 large red bell peppers
* 2 medium-sized eggplants
* 2 medium size onions
* 2 small ripe tomatoes
* Extra virgin olive oil
* 2 herrings or raw sausage

Homemade pizza preparation instructions

Cooking time: 30 minutes.
Preparation time: 90 minutes.
Rising time: 3 hours.

1. Place the flour in a large bowl. Add the dry yeast and the salt, and mix well.
2. In a large cup, mix the 1/2 cup of olive oil and the 1/2 cup of lukewarm water.
3. Make a small well in the middle of the flour and add the olive oil and water mixture.
4. Knead the flour mixture by hand for 10 minutes until the dough is elastic and smooth, and until the olive oil gives it a nice golden color.
5. Place the dough in the same bowl, cover with a towel, and allow it to rise for 3 hours in a warm place with no draught.
6. Preheat the oven to 200ºC, and roast the whole vegetables.
7. When the vegetables are well roasted, peel them.
8. Cut the peppers, and eggplants into long strips, and the onion into rings or strips. Finely chop the tomatoes.
9. When the dough has risen for 3 hours, stretch it with a rolling pin. Give it an oval form like shown in the picture.
10. Oil a cookie sheet, adn sprinkle some flour on it. Place the oval shaped flour on it.
11. First spread the onion over the whole homemade pizza dough. Second, distribute the tomato. Third, distribute the pepper strips like shown in the photo. Fourth, place the aggplant strips in between the pepper strips. Finally, place the herrings or the sausage.
12. Drizzle olive oil liberally over the whole homemade pizza toppings. Use a cruet or olive oil dispenser if you have one.
13. Bake the delicious homemade pizza for 30 minutes. Here you have it, a delicious Catalan coca.

Chicken & Farfalle with Creamy Walnut Sauce
1/3 cup walnuts
1 small clove garlic, peeled
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth (see Tips for Two)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon walnut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of fat, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 ounces whole-wheat farfalle pasta
1 cup small broccoli florets
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips

1. Put a large saucepan of water on to boil. Combine walnuts, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne in a blender; pulse until finely chopped. Blend in broth, parsley and lemon juice until smooth and creamy.
2. Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring often, until it is no longer pink in the middle, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Cook pasta for 5 minutes. Add broccoli and bell pepper, cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta and vegetables are just tender, about 4 minutes more. Drain, return to the pot. Add the walnut sauce and chicken; toss to coat.

Red Mullet in Onion Sauce (Triglie di Scoglio)
Ingredients: Two red mullets (about 250 grams each), 200 grams of sliced white or yellow onions, whole grain or white flour, half cup of white wine vinegar (a good varietal vinegar is best), 50 grams of white sugar or refined (crystallized) brown sugar, two tablespoons of finely chopped fresh parsley, refined olive oil (for frying), virgin olive oil (to sauté onions), two eggs (well beaten), salt, mild white pepper.

Preparation: Clean the mullets but leave the heads attached. Liberally coat the fish with flour, dip them in the beaten eggs, and dredge them in flour again. Fry the mullets in refined olive oil over medium heat, turning as necessary, until fully cooked. (Do so carefully; olive oil has a very low burning point.) Remove mullets from pan and drain oil by placing fish on absorbent paper. Discard frying oil. Very slowly sauté onions in virgin olive oil in a separate pan. When cooked, add about a half cup of vinegar. Add sugar and stir mixture. When sugar begins to thicken or crystallize, add salt and pepper to taste. Remove pan from heat. Add parsley. Add cooked mullets, or place fish on a plate and pour sauce over it. Serve with a large slice of lemon. Traditionalists believe this dish is best served slightly chilled or at room temperature. (This makes it ideal if your dinner guests arrive late, after you've cooked the mullets). Serves two.

Bow Tie Pasta With Tuna and Olive Tapenade

½ cup pitted green olives
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ cup parsley
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 pound tuna steak


Put the olives, garlic, parsley, olive oil and lemon justice in a food processor and blend until pureed. Add sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Add water until you have the consistency of a sauce, about ¼ cup.

Cut the tuna steak into strips two inches wide. Sauté in a frying pan over medium heat with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. Cook until done.

Cook the bow ties for about 14 minutes, or until done. Drain and add tuna. Drizzle the tapenade sauce on top.

Pasta alla Norm

Ingredients for 6 people:

* tomato sauce
* basil
* 3 eggplants
* 700 gr. of spaghetti
* salty cottage cheese

Preparation:
After having prepared the sauce of tomato aromatized with basil, take three beautiful Sicilian eggplants , let them lose their bitter taste, holding them under salt for approximately an hour in a colander, then fry them in hot oil. Boil 700 gr. of spaghetti, drains them and season them with the tomato sauce. In every portion you add the minced eggplants and over the salty cottage cheese.

Read More:
Mediterranean food recipes.com
Eating well.com
Mediterranean Diet Recipes
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Best of sicily