Zucchini pie

My initial purpose for making this was to try to re-create a zucchini pie I had in Italy that was so good.  It was like lasagna with many VERY thin layers of zucchini, and just a little red sauce.  I didn't think it had cheese in, but perhaps a little, and no evident egg.  However, I had the zucchinis and no recipe that was anything like the Italian dish. 

So this was next best thing.  For tonight I made it with real eggs that I wanted to use up, but would try again with chia or other egg substitute.  I used some fresh basil and oregano in addition to dried. 

This was a good way to use one very large zucchini from Hungry Harvest.  Could easily have used 2 and used a larger pan.  I didn't really follow the recipe but it's a good guideline.  I used a few very thin slices of challah on the bottom and a little mustard, as noted in the ingredients.  It added a very interesting taste.  I saw other zucchini pie recipes that used it as well.

It came out really good.  Definitely not too time-consuming and worth making.  Next time, I'll try sautéing the zucchini with the onions and garlic, then layering with a little tomato sauce, using a little egg substitute as a binder.  

Served with a large salad and it was a satisfying dinner.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup butter (used olive oil instead, and 1 Tbsp vegan butter on top)

• 4 cups thinly sliced zucchini - 1 very large zucchini

• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

•  ½ teaspoon dried basil

• ½ teaspoon dried oregano

• 2 eggs, well beaten

• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese

• 1 (8 ounce) tube refrigerated crescent rolls - can layer minimal bread on the bottom.

• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard

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Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2. Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir zucchini and onion until tender, about 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil, and oregano; stir to coat.

3. Whisk eggs and mozzarella cheese together in a bowl. Stir zucchini mixture into egg mixture.

4. Separate crescent dough into two rectangles and place into a 8x12-inch baking dish; press into bottom and slightly up sides of dish to form a crust. Spread mustard onto crust. Pour zucchini-egg mixture into crust.

5. Bake in the preheated oven until set in the middle and lightly browned, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool before cutting into squares or wedges.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

271	Calories
18g	Fat
16g	Carbs
12g	Protein

Tiramisu with Chef Tony in Sorrento

Not sure if I'll prepare this at home, but it was very good.  Make ahead so it can be refrigerated for at least 2 hours. 

For 12 servings - use 9x12 glass dish

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup American coffee - not espresso

+/- 1 tsp Amaretto

20 lady fingers to cover the bottom

1/2 pound ( 150 gm) mascarpone  

3 eggs separated

1 cup heavy cream

3 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp sugar

Dark chocolate chips for topping

DIRECTIONS:

1) Mascarone in one bowl

2) Yolks into the mascarpone; whites into a separate bowl

Heavy cream in a 3rd bowl

Sugar into the cream, 3Tbsp sugar into the mascarpone, and 1 Tbsp sugar into the egg whites.

Mix 2 minutes for the heavy cream, 2 minutes for the egg whites until there are soft peaks

3 minutes for the mascarpone mixture

Mix the 3 bowls together and mix with a SPATULA, 3 minutes.

Lady fingers - break one open to make sure it's not too dark.  Quickly dip the lady fingers in the coffee 'po, po' - quickly so there's no coffee on the inside.  Arrange across the bottom of the glass dish.

Cover with the mixture.

Chocolate chips 'everywhere'

REFRIGERATE for over 2 hours.

Gnocchi by Chef Tony in Sorrento

It was fun making gnocchi from scratch with Chef Tony.  It takes time and patience to roll out the dough just so.  Mine came out flat initially rather than round - he said I was too strong ;-).

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds red potatoes, cut into large chunks

2 eggs

1 lb all-purpose flour (he used Divella, farino type OO - use for pasta, gnocchi, pizza, etc - or can mix with 1:1/2 semolina for pasta with 2 eggs and a cup of milk)

DIRECTIONS:

Boil potatoes until fork goes in easily - about 20 minutes.

Then make the dough with the other ingredients.

Sort of lost track after that - maybe that's when we started drinking the wine ;-)

In small batches roll out the dough into long cigars, adding flour as needed.  Then chop lengthwise into about 1" lengths.  Cook in the marinara. 

Probably missing some essential details.  Easier to have at a restaurant!

 

Eggplant Parmigiana by Chef Tony in Sorrento

See recipe for Marinara Sauce.

For the very light simple eggplant parmigiana, here is Chef Tony's recipe.  Since I didn't want to use a whole bottle of oil, as he did, I tried preparing the eggplant slices in the air fryer.  That wasn't the greatest regarding texture, so I'll try baking them next time.  And there WILL be a next time soon!  This is so different than the heavy, solid eggplant dish we're used to here. 

He noted that in summer, eggplant is sweet.  In winter, you may need to soak it in water and sea salt to make it sweeter, using 2-3 large pinches of salt.  

INGREDIENTS:

Marinara sauce on this blog

1 small eggplant per person, peel only 2 vertical slices on opposite sides

Mozzarella - there it was buffalo mozzarella, the best; here, I found that Galvani mozzarella in small balls, sold at Giant was quite good.  Label says 'it's #1 in Italy' 

Sea salt

Few basil leaves

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cut eggplant in vertical slices, ~ 2-3 mm thick, so there is only a thin layer of peel on each side

Chef Tony then heated a large pan of oil, cooked the slices til they were slightly browned, removed them and set them on paper towels.  He said that this was the healthy way to prepare it; that if the slices stuck to the bottom, they would then absorb the oil.  This way, they don't.  The oil can be re-used but only for eggplant.  

Sprinkle slices with sea salt

In small over-proof dishes, start with a Tbsp of marinara, the eggplant, mozzarella, then one more layer but only with marinara and eggplant.   Top with a basil leaf, which can then be replaced with a fresh one after baking. 

Bake for about 15 minutes.  

It might be ok to use garlic and 2 pinches of red pepper flakes.  NO onion! 

Marinara Sauce from Chef Tony in Sorrento

Chef Tony at Quanto Baso cooking school in Sorrento was fun and informative for our group cooking lesson, arranged in advance.  In general he warned us against using garlic and onions together because they cover each other's tastes (what?!).  He said 'you Americans' use too many ingredients in your red sauce, too much garlic...  And we did notice even before this class that the marinara sauce there was light and very tasty.  

On our Food Walking Tour on our first day in Naples, our tour guide Alex had us try marinara pizza (as well as fried pizza, buffalo mozzarella, gelato, limoncello, sfogliatella and another pastry ...).  He said he knew we wouldn't believe it, but just pizza crust with just marinara is amazing.  And it was!   So it was exciting when chef Tony said we would be making some.  Remarkably, he used canned tomatoes, which helped me believe we could reproduce it at home.  At some of the places we asked, we were told the tomatoes or the onions they used can only be found in Italy, so we were convinced we would not be able to do the same here. 

With Chef Tony, and our 'classmates' from Chile, NY and Australia, we joyfully made and consumed fresh made gnocchi in marinara, delicate dishes of eggplant parmigiana, and tiramisu covered with chocolate chips - chef Tony's favorite.  

So here's the simple marinara that we enjoyed on our first night at home.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tbsp EVOO per person

64 - 70 ounces San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes

1 clove of garlic ("not 6, not 8, but ONE), cut in pieces

2 basil leaves, torn

5 large pinches of salt

DIRECTIONS:

Heat pan on high.  Add oil, garlic and basil.  

Add the tomatoes and crush them inside the pot.

Simmer - that's it! 

Roasted Cauliflower with Golden Raisins and Capers

https://www.loveandlemons.com/roasted-cauliflower-golden-raisins-capers/ 

The prep time really was close to 15 minutes, as stated.  I would use a large head, or 2 small heads of cauliflower, and take it easy with the capers.  Great mix of flavors from the tarragon, agave and vinegar.  I used spinach just because I didn't have arugula.  Great side dish.  Would consider adding nuts or garbanzos with extra dressing to make it a  meal.  

Just arrived home from Italy, so it's a pleasure to have green on the plate! 

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

This easy vegetarian side dish would be a great addition to a holiday table. Alternatively, toss it with a cooked grain to make it a full meal!

Author: Jeanine Donofrio

Recipe type: Side dish, salad

Serves: 4 as a side

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower, broken into small pieces*
• 1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1-2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 1-2 tablespoons agave or sweetener of your choice
• A few handfuls arugula
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 2 tablespoons golden raisins (soak for a few minutes if they’re not plump)
• 2 teaspoons minced tarragon
• Sea salt and fresh black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Break or chop cauliflower into small pieces.
3. Prepare 1 to 2 baking sheets with parchment or foil. Place cauliflower on baking sheets so the pieces are not touching. Drizzle with olive oil, white wine vinegar, and agave and toss with pinches of salt and pepper. The amount you use will depend on how much cauliflower you have and if you prefer to cook with more oil or with less.
4. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until deeply golden and caramelized (not burnt, but just before). Remove from oven. While the cauliflower is somewhat hot, toss with the arugula so the arugula wilts just slightly from the heat. Toss in a bowl with capers, raisins, and tarragon and serve.

Notes

*I like to break cauliflower florets apart with my hands to get little trees. This avoids uneven chunks of stalk that you can get from chopping it with a knife.

Thai Crunch Salad in peanut dressing

From onceuponachef: 

https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/thai-crunch-salad-with-peanut-dressing.html?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Pesto+Pasta+Salad%2C+Creamy+Cucumber+Salad%2C+Thai+Crunch+Salad%20-%208899194#tabrecipe 

Great cold dish to go with BBQ or anything else.  Can use the small Bullet attachment to blend the sauce.  Add it to the salad just a little while before serving, although I didn't mind it being moist/mushy the next day.  Also added some peanuts after it was all mixed.

Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing

METRIC  CUP MEASURES

By Jennifer Segal

Inspired by California Pizza Kitchen’s recipe, this Thai crunch salad with peanut dressing always satisfies.

Servings: 4   (I'd say 6+)

Total Time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE THAI PEANUT DRESSING

• ¼ cup creamy peanut butter 
• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from one lime
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed)
• 2 tablespoons honey

• 2½ tablespoons sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1-inch square piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (usually I cut back on these, but this amount worked well for this recipe)
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

FOR THE SALAD

• 4 cups chopped Napa cabbage or shredded coleslaw mix (I like to toss in a little shredded red cabbage for color)
• 1 cup prepared shredded carrots
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 1 English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and thinly sliced 
• 1 cup cooked and shelled edamame (can defrost frozen shelled ones)
• 2 medium scallions, thinly sliced
• ½ cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro
• (Optional - add peanuts after salad is dressed)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For the dressing, combine all of the ingredients except for the cilantro in a blender (Bullet works well) and process until completely smooth. Add the cilantro and blend for a few seconds until the cilantro is finely chopped. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. For the salad, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. If serving right away, drizzle the peanut dressing over top and toss; otherwise, serve the dressing on the side so the salad doesn't get soggy.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

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• Per serving (4 servings)
• Serving size:Approximately 2 cups
• Calories:282
• Fat:18 g
• Saturated fat:2 g
• Carbohydrates:28 g
• Sugar:17 g
• Fiber:6 g
• Protein:7g
• Sodium:505 mg
• Cholesterol:0 mg