Sausages, Beans and Olives Casserole

I read that this is a traditional dish in northern Italy, usually made with lard and pork belly, which I replaced here with olive oil, sausages and pancetta, thus getting the strong flavours of pork with less cooking time. The sausages can also be replaced with small ribs.

 Ingredients:

- 3 tbsp olive oil

- 2 medium onions, chopped

- 2 carrots, chopped

- 4 oz pancetta, diced

- 1 lb sausages, cut into 1-inch thick chunks (mine had cheese and parsley in them)

- 1 cup pitted black olives

- 3 oz tomato puree

- 1 cup beef stock

- 1 glass red wine

- 14oz can cannellini beans, drained

- 3 bay leaves

- salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F. Heat the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole dish and fry the onions and carrots over high heat for about 2 minutes, until golden.

Tilapia Fillets in Spanish Sauce

My daughter is not the biggest fan ever when it comes to fish; however, this recipe was a huge success with her, so much that she wanted me to pack any leftovers for the following day's lunch at school. Indeed, the combination of flavours is special and unbelievably tasty.

Ingredients:

- 6 tilapia fillets (any other mild fish is equally suitable)

- 1 head of garlic, medium

- 1 tsp hot paprika

- 2 tsp sweet paprika

- 1 small chilli pepper (optional)

- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped

- 1 tbsp ground cumin

- 1 1/2 cup tomato juice

- 1/8 tsp ground all-spice

- zest of 1 lemon

- 6 tbsp olive oil

- 1 handful black olives (I used Kalamata pitted olives)

- 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped

- salt and pepper to taste

Leek, Onion and Veal Stew with Lemon and Kalamata Olives

I think I've made this dish about three times in the past two weeks, that's how good it is. The idea comes from Dana and she's made it quite a few times, believe me! So, this is my take on it.

Ingredients:

- 2 lbs yellow onion, sliced

- 4 big leeks (only the white part)

-  1/2 lb veal shoulder, cut in bite-size cubes

- about 3 tbsp olive oil

- approximately 1 bottle (3 cups) dry white wine, it can be less than that depending on the quantity of the other ingredients

- 1 tbsp tomato paste

- 1-2 bay leaves

- allspice berries (about 10), salt and pepper to taste

- approximately 7-8 slices of lemon

First clean the leeks, by slicing the white part and putting them into a big bowl with cold water. Stir them a little bit in the bowl, then let them in the water for 10 minutes, so that the sand and dirt collect at the bottom of the bowl.