Arugula Soup with Bruschetta Croutons

Ingredients:

4 slices of stale bread
6 Tbsp Bruschetta Pomodoro
12 Tbsp Bonsecco EVOO
3 Tbsp butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
1/3 cup flour
4 cups chicken stock
2 Tbsp Saveurade Assisi* 
1 cup cream
2 potatoes
1/3 lb arugula
fresh, soft goat cheese

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spoon the bruschetta pomodoro in a bowl and add 4 tbsp warm water. Leave to soak. Add 6 tbsp olive oil and stir well. Spread the Bruschetta mixture over the slices of bread. Brush the back sides of the slices of bread with 2 tbsp olive oil. Cut the bread in cubes. Bake the croutons 10 min in the oven until crispy and leave to cool.

Heat the butter in a large pan and saute the shallots until it looks translucent. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Let the flour cook lightly stirring continuously until thickened. Gradually add the chicken broth and stir constantly to keep the mixture smooth. Add the saveurade Assisi and the cream and stir well again. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Peel the potatoes and cut into small cubes. Add to the soup and cook until tender. Remove the pan from the heat. Toss the arugula (keep some separate for garnish) in the soup and puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Drizzle the olive oil over the soup. Garnish the soup with arugula and croutons.  Preparation time 30 minutes.  Serves 4

*To substitute the Saveurade Assisi in a food processor make a thick sauce with basil, garlic, onion and a bit of white wine

Piri Piri French Fries

Ingredients:

1 cup grapeseed oil
3 tbsp rub Portuguese
5 tablespoons mix for French style roasted potatoes or Greek style roasted potatoes
1 lb sweet potatoes
1 lb waxy potatoes
4 spring onions  

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Take two bowls and divide the grapeseed oil, half in each bowl. Mix on the one side the oil with the rub Portuguese and in the other with the French or Greek potato herbs. Peel the sweet potato and wash it. Wash the other potatoes with peel. Cut the potatoes into equal size fries. Clean the spring onions and cut them into chunks. Mix the sweet potato and half the spring onions with the Portuguese rub mixture. The remaining potatoes and spring onion mix with the French potato seasoning.

Heat 2 large pans and fry the potato mixture each in its own pan for 5 minutes until crisp and brown. Then pour the fries onto two baking sheets with parchment paper and bake for 10 minutes in the oven and serve.  Preparation time 30 minutes.  Serves 4.

Tip: Serve with chicken wings and a fresh salad.  

Garlic Chili Wings

Ingredients:

2 lb chicken wings
1 cup Bonsecco olive oil
4 tsp orange blossom honey
4 dried chillies
4 tsp chicken choice, unground
30 dried garlic flakes
5 small, thin slices ginger
5 discs lemon
10 sprigs cilantro  

Preparation:

In a large bowl make the marinade of olive oil, honey, chilli's, chicken choice and garlic slices. Crush the herbs in the marinade with the convex side of a spoon. Cut the ginger slices into very fine cubes and put them together with the lemon slices and 6 sprigs cilantro to the marinade. Crush the ginger and lemon so the juices mix well in the marinade. Dry the chicken wings with paper towels and place them in the marinade. Rub the marinade into the chicken wings. Allow to marinate at least 60 minutes in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bake the chicken wings on a cooking sheet until they look golden brown. Remove the chicken wings from the pan and place them in a baking dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken wings and place the dish in the oven for 15-20 min. Serve the chicken wings in a bowl and pour the remaining marinade over the top. Garnish the chicken wings with the remaining cilantro leaves. Serve as a snack or as a main dish with fries and a salad.  Preparation time 95 minutes.  Serves 4.