The Sunny Kitchen - An Italian cook in Amsterdam

My favourite breakfast - Smoothie Nr. 2

Another one after my very first.

To brighten up this rainy Amsterdam summer day (please notice the support candle).

Lots of fruit in a ready-made tropical juice base.

To be precise: 2 peaches, 6 raspberries, a handful of blueberries (I adore berries!), half a small mango, the juice of one lime and a few finely chopped rosemary leaves.

It's a chunky smoothie, just the way I love it. Thick and full of flavours.

Chop the rosemary leaves very finely or it will be even chunkier.

Salute!

My favourite breakfast - Smoothie Nr. 1

A few years ago I totally changed my breakfast habits.
Not that it's so hard to do since the typical Italian breakfast isn't that exciting - most people have just an espresso or a cappuccino at the local bar, sometimes accompanied by a cornetto, the Italian version of the French croissant, or caffelatte e biscotti, cookies dipped in milk with coffee, at home.
I must admit that for a country of such food-obsessed people breakfast is definitely not a very representative meal but I guess it's because we prefer to concentrate our energy and appetite on more "substantial" things like il pranzo e la cena (lunch and dinner).

I don't eat a lot of fruit during the day because I prefer to do that the "Fit for life way" - meaning that at least three hours have to pass from eating fruit after other types of food like grains or meat. And let's face it, when do I have such long time lapses between meals and little snacks or culinary experiments if not when I'm sleeping? ;)
So for me the best moment for eating lots of fresh fruit is definitely breakfast time.

I first started with whole fruits but I got bored quite soon so I decided to make fruit salads, but that wasn't quite my thing either since I find it a time-consuming occupation. In the morning I'm usually pretty hungry and very much in the "No Time To Waste" mode because I want to take out the dog, check my email, read the latest news, blablabla. Life on the fast lane, you see (haha, NOT!). ;)
Though I love to spend lots of time cooking during the rest of the day - and I usually do - in the mornings I like being fast and furious. So I switched to making (and drinking) smoothies. And what a fantastic solution that is.
I usually prepare my smoothies with season's fruit and some good, ready-made - possibly organic - juice, often made from just apples or apples and cranberry.

If I really crave for the tropical taste I add some creamy coconut milk and I ALWAYS use the juice of a  lime, freshly squeezed and blended with the rest. I just LOVE limes.
I use whole fruits - meaning with their skin - because of the fibers. For the same reason I do not use a fruit centrifuge because all those precious fibers would be lost and just blend my fruit into the ready-made juice.
This morning's version has a summery Italian taste thanks to the fresh basil and the nectarines plus a tropical twist due to the fresh pineapple and the coconut cream.
I prefer fruit at room temperature but I love blending some ice cubes in it on hotter days.
Salute!

Pineapple, nectarine, banana, basil and coconut smoothie

Serves 2

3 dl apple juice
1 banana
2 slices of fresh pineapple
2 ripe nectarines
1 lime, squeezed
1 tablespoon of coconut cream/milk
2-3 basil leaves

Blend everything together and serve immediately.

                                                Tropical-fruity music (real vintage!) :)

Spritz, one of the best Italian cocktails

Spritz is one of my favourite cocktails, especially when sipped with my friends on a terrace or in the garden. "Al fresco", as Americans call it, even if the expression is not used with the same meaning in Italian - we use "all'aria aperta", literally "in the open air". It's a fantastic drink, ideal with savory nibbles on warm evenings like the ones we're having here in Holland lately. Summer in May. Hopefully not ALL the summer we're going to get this year. ;)

One of my friends, Italian architect and artist  Claudio Varone, makes not only beautiful wall tapestries with colourful felt but also the best spritz ever. He uses Campari to give the spritz its bright, shiny colour and the typical, slightly bitter taste, but in some areas of Veneto (the Italian region where spritz comes from) this cocktail can be made with Aperol (a bit too sweet for my personal taste) or with the very bitter Cynar, made with artichokes.

Yesterday evening we enjoyed Claudio's spritz and I finally managed to "steal" (grazie Claudio!) its recipe after so much time that I wanted to publish it on this blog.

Because Claudio prepares spritz directly in the glasses and not in a big carafe, the listed ingredients are enough for one person.
If you don't have any Prosecco, use dry white wine and a bit of mineral water with gas for the necessary bubbles.

Ingredients:

1/4 Campari
3/4 Prosecco
a dash of gin
mineral water with gas
1 slice of orange
1 strawberry
1 fresh mint leave
some ice cubes

Mix Campari, Prosecco and a dash of gin. Add some mineral water if you want a lighter spritz and a couple of ice cubes.

Garnish with a slice of orange, one whole strawberry and a mint leave.
Salute!