Zucchini Boats

Mike and I made this tonight.  The smells that were coming out of the kitchen were fantastic.

2 medium zucchini
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped basil
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 yellow pepper
2 tomatoes diced
1 pound fresh buffalo mozzarella chopped into cubes
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 cup of of the scooped zucchini meat, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

Mix all that shit together!  Fill the boats and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake at 350°F

Mediterranean Farro Salad

I had this salad in Eataly.  I was so delicious I made it myself.
Adapted from:
http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/mediterranean-farro-salad-recipe

INGREDIENTS:

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup uncooked farro, rinsed and drained
1 large hot house cucumber, seeded and finely-diced
2/3 cup finely-diced roasted red peppers
1/2 cup finely-diced sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
half of a small red onion, finely diced
1/4 cup finely-chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup finely-chopped basil

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 Teaspoon of Herbs de Provence
pinch of salt and pinch of black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

TO MAKE THE SALAD:

Stir together stock and farro in a medium saucepan, and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Remove from heat, and drain off any extra stock once the farro is cooked.  Let farro cool for at least 10 minutes.

Transfer farro to a large mixing bowl, and add in remaining ingredients, including the vinaigrette.  Toss until combined.

Lemon Chicken Piccata with Caprese Salad

This is a similar recipe to one I had made before.  Cook while it's cool outside!

Ingredients:

• 3 large skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1/2-inch medallions
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 mushrooms, sliced 
• 1 onion, sliced 

 

          1/2 lemon, thinly sliced

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup minced Italian (flat-leaf) Parsley
• 1/4 cup white wine 

      Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place a serving platter into the oven to warm.
2. Season the chicken breast pieces with salt and pepper and dredge them in flour. Shake off excess flour. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet; pan-fry the chicken pieces until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Work in batches and do not crowd skillet, adding oil as needed . Place the chicken pieces onto the warmed platter in the oven. When finished with all the chicken, drain most of the oil from the skillet, leaving a thin coating on the surface of the pan.
3. Cook and stir the minced garlic, onions, and mushrooms in the skillet until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Pour in the chicken broth and wine. Scrape and dissolve any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Stir in the lemon slices and bring the mixture to a boil. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces to about 2/3 cup, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the lemon juice and capers; simmer until the sauce is reduced and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes more. Drop the butter into the skillet and swirl it into the sauce by tilting the skillet until the butter is melted and incorporated. Add the parsley; remove from heat and set aside.
4. Arrange the chicken medallions on serving plates and spoon sauce over each portion to serve.

Focaccia from Puglia with Additions

The first chance I had to bake is today after being hot for 2 1/2 months.  Thought I'd focaccia.  This recipe comes from:
Savory Baking from the Mediterranean by Anissa Helou

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading and shaping
1 teaspoons sea salt
Extra-virgin olive oil

Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water, and stir until creamy.

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl, and make a well in the center.   Add the yeast and gradually add another  1/2 cup warm water and bring in the remaining flour as you go along. Knead briefly to make a rough ball of dough.

Dust a work surface with flour. Sprinkle the ball of dough with a little extra flour and knead for 2 to 3 minutes. Invert the bowl over the dough and let rest for 15 minutes. Knead for 2 to 3 minutes more, sprinkling with extra flour if the dough is sticky, until the dough is smooth and somewhat soft.  Shape into a ball.  Grease a bowl with a little bit of olive oil, place the dough in it.  Cover with plastic wrap let rise in a draft free place for 1 hour. 

Grease a 12-inch round pie plate with olive oil. Transfer the dough to the pie plate, and flatten and stretch the dough by hand to cover the bottom of the plate; the dough should be about 1/2 inch thick. Cover with a wet but not dripping kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 45 minutes.  The dough should have doubled in volume.

Preheat the oven to 450°F.  Press with fingertips on the focaccia to make dimples all over. Brush lightly with olive oil. Bake for 15 to 20  minutes, until the focaccia is well risen and golden brown all over. Serve warm, or transfer to a wire rack to let cool and serve at room temperature.

I added sauted yellow pepper, red onions, mushrooms, tomato sauce, asiago cheese, sopressata, bufala mozzarella, salt, and pepper.

Pici Cacio e Pepe

This recipe we had in Milan.  It's been a favorite of mine ever since.  The garlic flavored water gives the pasta the savoriness. 

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 pound dried Pici pasta
• 6 whole garlic cloves
• 1 cup freshly grated aged Pecorino-Romano
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream 
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Directions:

Grind the pepper. Set aside.

Fill a pot with water, 6 cloves of garlic, and bring to a boil.  Remove the garlic before adding the pasta.  Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta and cook until al dente.  1 cup of the pasta cooking water into a glass measuring cup and reserve it.  Drain the pasta.

In a sauté pan with the heat on low, add 1/2 cup of the grated Pecorino, the crushed peppercorns, cream, butter, parsley, and 1 teaspoon salt, stirring constantly. Turn the flame off and toss in the remaining 1/2 cup Pecorino, lemon zest, and pasta.  Serve immediately with a bowl of extra grated Pecorino for sprinkling.  Note, if the pasta seems to dry, add some of the reserved pasta water.

Absolute® Spicy Penne alla Vodka and Meat Sauce

It's my first making penne alla vodka.  I added ground meat and onions to make the sauce savory.  I used my own recipe for tomato sauce in this recipe.  I only have Absolute® vodka on hand.  This dish is simple and delicious.  You can chose to make it vegetarian, turkey, or chicken.  I used Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. 

Ingredients:

Sea salt and fresh black pepper
35 oz. can Italian plum tomatoes, pureed
1 pound penne
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper
1/2 cup vodka
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Parmesan or Manchego.

Simple directions:

In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil.  Sauté the red pepper, onion, and garlic until opaque.  Add the salt and pepper and ground meat.  Cook for about 5 min or until done.  Add the vodka, tomato, cream, and parsley.  Cook for about 10 min.  Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and stir.  Add the cooked penne.