A refreshing Mediterranean iced tea with an exotic twist!

Have you ever prepared an iced tea that is refreshing and tasty and has an exotic twist as well? That is very easy to do. You only need few ingredients: your favourite flavor of tea, sugar, lemon, a small bunch of fresh mint and a piece of fresh ginger, big more or less like a clove of garlic.

So let's start by making a normal tea in the teapot, leave the tea in infusion for at least 15 minutes. Add 2 or 3 spoons full of sugar while the water is still hot, 10 mint leaves or more, an entire lemon cut in slices and the piece of ginger without the skin.

Leave everything together until the tea has reached the room temperature. After a good couple of hours (at least two) remove the slices of lemon and the ginger.

Put the tea in a jug or a bottle and place it in the fridge for other 2-3 hours. You can also take the mint out but I love it so much I keep it there until the moment I serve it. 

With this heat dear friends, don't miss the opportunity of preparing this lovely refreshing drink at home, definitely healthier than the ones you buy it. You can offer it to your friends when they come visit you or to your husband when he comes tired and hot from work. I am sure that they will love it and appreciate the fact that you had this sweet thought and prepared it with love just for them.

Oregano and lemon zest, two things I cannot live without!

Give me some pizza and I will put a ton of oregano on it. Ask me to make a sweet pie with ricotta cheese (our traditional cassata) and I will grate some lemon zest inside. If I prepare some healthy steamed cabbage as side-dish and a beef steak I will sprinkle both of them with some oregano and if I cook a plate of pasta alla carbonara or pasta with smoked salmon... here we go again I must have some lemon zest.

I could go on and on and on but I think I made myself quite clear. There isn't another ingredient in the kitchen that I love to taste more than these two when I eat. They both have such a Mediterranean delicate but fabulous smell and are able to turn a good dish into a superb one because of their parfume! Isn't it amazing?

Another reason why I love them it's... I guess that for me they are just home! I like trying different cuisines and new ingredients but when I have something with oregano or lemon zest... that's just where I belong to.

Yesterday by the way, I was watching a tv show about cookery where there was a Sicilian chef. He was preparing some chicken legs cooked in beer with rosemary and garlic, and.... guess what did it put on top of it? Lemon zest! So it's good to know I am not the only one crazy about it :)

Lemon-flavored artichokes: nice, easy and tasty

Do you know how to cook artichokes with a delicate lemon flavor? A couple of weeks ago I made this delicious side-dish that is perfect for dinner to accompany a frittata or a pie.

Ingredients & preparation for 4 people:
4 artichokes - 2 lemons (both juice & zest) - olive oil - salt - water

You have to clean the artichokes as usual: take an artichoke at a time and remove the external and rough leaves using a sharp knife. Continue until you have only thinner and softer leaves. Cut also the stem. In a sink full of cold water squeeze the juice of half a lemon and leave there the lemon as well. When you have finished with the knife leave the artichokes to soak about half an hour. 

Cut the artichokes very thinly. Put a frying pan on a medium heat with a drizzle of oil, salt and a glass of water and cook there the artichokes stirring them from time to time to avoid sticking on the pan. Grate some lemon zest too.

Once they are cooked squeeze the juice of at least half a lemon and let cook all together 10-15 more minutes. You may serve them hot or warm... enjoy!