LEMON CAKES

I love lemons!
They are yellow and happy like the sun, and they smell nice and
refreshing!
I thought the big lemons with thick peel belonged to the
Costiera Amalfitana, the capital of Limoncello (a famous liquor
made with lemon peel).
That is not so!
I have discovered beautiful lemons also here in the Verona area.
Citrus fruits were brought from the Liguria Riviera to Lake Garda
during the 13th century by the monks of the San Francesco Monastery
of Gargnano.
In the 16th century Bongianni Grattarolo wrote,
"For nearly ten miles along the lake, from Salò to Gargnano, there
are many gardens whose amenities do not pale in comparison with what
the poets wrote of Atlantis, Alcino, and the Hesperides, full in every
season of the year of all those fruits with the golden peel."
So here I am with lots of perfect lemons to prepare my favorite lemon
cake, and maybe another time some sweet Limoncello.

LEMON CAKES

Ingredients:

2 free range eggs
half cup plain yogurt
half cup extra virgin olive oil
grated peel of one big lemon with thick peel
juice of one lemon
half cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour 6 mini loaf pans or a regular one.
In a bowl mix the eggs with the sugar until creamy.
Add all the wet ingredients and the grated lemon peel.
Add the flour and the baking powder to the mixture.
Divide the batter evenly into the pans, smooth the tops,
sprinkle with granulated sugar,and bake for 30 minutes,
until a cake tester comes out clean.



I serve the small cakes for tea or I give them as a
school snack to my son.

WILD ASPARAGUS

On Sunday it was a beautiful day for a walk in the wild.
Me and my family got our sneakers on and went for a nice walk
along the path that, from our new house, takes to a small forest.
This spring day was ideal to look for some wild asparagus, a fun
activity that reminds me of when I was young.
We found some thin asparagus, but still enough to make a nice omelette.

Wild asparagus are very good for you, they are a nutrient-packed source
of vitamins, minerals and essential proteins.
Asparagus are rich in vitamin A, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin),
B5 (pantothenic acid), B-6, folate, C, E (alpha-tocopherol), and K (phylloquinone).
The mineral treasures that are stored in asparagus include iron, calcium,
phosphorous, magnesium, manganese, zinc, selenium, and potassium.

Lets cook them!

ASPARAGUS OMELETTE

Ingredients:
A bunch of fresh wild asparagus
half onion
6 eggs
1 cup mozzarella (optional)
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

Take off the hard part of each asparagus and cut them in small sticks.

Put them in a frying pan, cover with water and let it boil
until it evaporates.
Meanwhile beat eggs in a bowl with salt and pepper.
Cube mozzarella.
Add asparagus and mozzarella to the egg mixture and
mix well.
Cover the bottom of the frying pan with olive oil and
add the thinly sliced onion.
Once the onion is translucent, add egg mixture.
Cover with a lid and let it cook for 5 minutes at low heat.
Holding the lid tight on the pan with one hand turn the pan upside down
in order to turn around the omelette
(do this operation on the sink so if some egg mixture spills
it is not a problem).
Let the omelette cook for few minutes more, until it becomes golden brown.

Serve it with a mixed herbs salad and a crunchy baguette.