Lentils and Fennel

This is a riff on a Bon Appetit recipe I found about 5 years ago. I've made it many times and even Nonna likes it if I overcook the carrots. It's a really simple dish that is actually vegan when served on its own. Being the omnivore that I am, I usually top it with grilled pork tenderloins, or, as tonight, chicken breasts.

I had to pan-fry and then finish the chicken in the oven because somehow, the gas hose for the grill was eaten, broke, or somehow, otherwise, decided to come apart.

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Your guess is as good as mine - no kinks, twists, bends, odd angles, or undue stress. A new assembly will arrive tomorrow by 8pm. Thank you, Amazon Prime.

While we do tend to grill a lot, a few days without it is not going to hamper our cooking. I do need it relatively quickly, however, because Victor takes of tomorrow for a 4-day business trip and I like my hot dogs charred.

The days of doing major home products and subsisting on chili dogs while he's away are over for the time being - Nonna, messes, and hammering at 2 in the morning just don't mix. But I do plan on canning another huge batch of Little Grandma's Eggplant and another six or so pints of peppers. Victor brought in 6 more eggplants this morning and a huge basket of peppers. I'll be out later to get green beans. Confined-to-the-kitchen messes for the time being.

This garden stuff is fun.

Strangely, though, nothing in tonight's dinner came from the garden!

I usually use sherry vinegar when making this, but tonight I used a fig balsamic. You can use anything you like.

Lentils and Fennel

  • 1 cup dried lentils
  • 1 fennel bulb
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 3 carrots, cut into small dice
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • Chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 1 tbsp sherry vinegar (or other good-quality vinegar)
  • S&P

Cook lentils in broth, uncovered, until lentils are just tender.

While lentils simmer, cut fennel bulb into 1/4-inch dice and chop about 2 tbsp fennel fronds for the finish.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet and add onion, carrot, fennel, and fennel seeds. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

When vegetables and lentils are cooked, stir lentils into vegetables and cook until heated through. Stir in parsley, vinegar, and fennel fronds. Add S&P, as desired.

Serve as a side dish or top with anything you desire!.

 


Canning Little Grandma's Eggplant Appetizer

Mother Nature is smiling down on us because one eggplant plant is producing eggplant for the world! It's just unbelievable. It's going bonkers. Talk about a perfect location.

We've been giving them to neighbors as fast as we can, but yesterday Victor went out and there were 7 that were immediately ready to eat.  Two went to neighbors and five came inside for canning.

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I made and canned a caponata at the beginning of the season but this time we decided to go with Little Grandma's Eggplant Appetizer. Little Gram wrote in 1993 - when she was a mere 93 -

My family loves this. When I make it, they eat it like candy. Well, it is sweet! I find that eggplants are better in the summer, even though you can get them all year round. This is another recipe I have been making for many years. I got it from my mother who brought it over from Sicily. She and my father worked for a nobleman when they lived there. Ma used to cook for the man and his family. That's probably where she got many recipes. This dish is really a type of Caponota that many Italian families make.

We have made this many, many times - it's a great caponata - but this is the first time we've made this much of it at once.

Victor started out by peeling and cutting all of those eggplants. He actually did all the work. I just did the canning part.

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Then it was into olive oil, for frying.

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Meanwhile, the celery and then olives were parboiled.

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Finally, everything came together...

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And into jars for processing.

I was able to can 8 pints of eggplant. I sent 7 down to the basement and kept one for dinner, tonight. I'm thinking chicken and cooking up some of the polenta I picked up at the Italian Market two weeks ago. Simple, but oh, so good!

This is going to be great at Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Little Grandma's Eggplant Appetizer

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium eggplant
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 3/4 cups halved or chopped green olives
  • 3 cups thinned Italian tomato sauce
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 6 tablespoons vinegar
  • 1/4 chopped Locatelli cheese
  • 2 tablespoons capers
  • fresh basil and mint

Cut eggplant in strips the size of French fries. Salt and let stand about an a hour. Dry on a paper towel. Deep fry in hot oil. Keep oil as hot as possible without burning. Add eggplant one at a time and keep adding one at a time to keep the oil at the same temperature. Fry each one until tender and cooked. Drain on paper towels.

To Make Sauce:

Parboil celery for ten minutes. Add olives and cook another five minutes. Drain all water out of the pot. Add the thinned tomato sauce and boil for ten minutes. Add vinegar and sugar. Cook for three minutes. Add cheese. Make it come to a boil and then turn off heat and allow to cool.

Pour sauce over fried eggplants. Garnish with fresh Basil and mint that have been sliced into very thin strips.

 


Fig Jam

Last week was a whirlwind. It started with a company party and overnight in Philadelphia, brunch with friends the following day, a couple of days of relative normalcy, a train trip to Washington, DC for a Barbra Streisand concert, and then a flight to Manchester New Hampshire for a dear friend's wedding. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

The DC concert came about because I misread the date of the wedding. We had tickets to see Barbra here in Philadelphia on the 20th. I thought the wedding was on the 28th and booked plane, hotel, and rental car accordingly. A couple of weeks later I realized my mistake.

Oooops!

Rebooked the flights, paid the ridiculous change fees, and said goodbye to Barbra.

Then I went online, saw that tickets were still available in DC, and bought them. Used Amtrak points for the train, booked a Hyatt - where I can always schmooze my way into an upgrade - got a hold of our Nonna-Sitter, and sat back, ready for the whirlwind.

And what a whirlwind, it was. The concert was just unbelievable. Mere words cannot describe. It was just great.

And then it was off to Manchester. The flights were a breeze and we got an upgrade on the car to a Jeep SUV. The hotel was where we stayed when we got married back in 2010 and more laughing and schmoozing with the front desk ladies had us in another great room. And then we got to meet up with more friends who came in for the festivities.

Dinner at the Elks club - steak and lobster for $20 - was the rehearsal dinner, or would have been had there been a rehearsal. Huge perfectly-cooked ribeye steaks, 2lb lobsters, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, watermelon, apple turnovers, and for us, an open bar, set the tone for the night. Good food, great friends, a bit of booze, and lots and lots of laughter.

The wedding was perfect. Outdoors, casual, and low-key. We FaceTime'd friends from Seattle who couldn't make it in person - modern technology rocks - and just had a great time. Just perfect.

Monday we drove out to the middle of Nowhere, New Hampshire to meet another dear friend who lives in Vermont for lunch. Another great time. Then it was back to Manchester and to the Irish pub where we had our wedding reception. More laughter and fun. Airport, home, and back to work and reality.

While we were gone the garden exploded and more tomatoes and even more peppers were ready for picking.

I brought home a pound of figs not knowing what I was going to do with them and first thought a pepper and fig jam was in order - and then was reminded about a caramelized onion and fig dish I had once made - so it became a Fig, Caramelized Onion, and Pepper jam.

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I caramelized an onion, processed the figs with the peppers and sugar, cooked everything down, and proceeded to start eating it.

Fig, Caramelized Onion, and Pepper Jam

  • 1 large onion
  • 1 lb figs
  • 3 hot peppers - more or less, to taste
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup fig balsamic vinegar
  • pinch of salt and pepper

Caramelize onions in skillet with a bit of oil until they are nicely browned.

Meanwhile, process figs, sugar, and peppers in food processor until well-mixed.

Add a hefty splash of fig balsamic vinegar to onions and let it cook down. Add the fig and pepper mixture to the onions and cook until it is thick thick thick.

Stir in a bit more fig balsamic and taste for seasoning, adding a bit of S&P, if desired. Place into a clean, sterile jar, cool, and refrigerate.

First thing I did with it was put it on a chicken breast and served it with a cheesy rice stuffed bell pepper - also from the yard.

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I have pounds more peppers I need to get canned before I head off to work, today.

And tomorrow Victor is making pasta sauce form the ton of tomatoes we have in the freezer. I'll jar it when I get home!

So the whirlwind is slowing down and we're back to domestic normalcy for a few more weeks before we head west to my nephew's wedding in California.

But we have some of the best memories of some of the best people on the planet.

We really do lead a charmed life.

 

 


Eggplant Rollatini

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The eggplants are coming in fast and furious. Every day there are more flowers and more fruit. It's the Summer of Eggplant! And what fun we are having!

Victor made an eggplant lasagne the other day that was beyond stellar. Layers of thinly-sliced eggplant floured and fried, layered with cheeses and sauce... Baked in the oven until perfect.

The most amazing thing about it, however, wasn't that it was outstandingly delicious, it was that Nonna loved it! Not only did she all but lick her plate, she requested it for lunch - twice! She has refused to eat eggplant for the almost 4 years she has lived here - and now she's clamoring for more. It's like a Christmas Miracle in August.

Tonight was an eggplant rollatini that was also beyond stellar. His idea was to just make a small side dish. I saw it and decided it was dinner - hell with the side dish idea!

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That's one eggplant. I sliced it thin on my mandoline and Victor took it from there... There are no recipes for things like this. Like the lasagne a few nights ago, you just make it. That being said, here's an approximation of what he did.

Eggplant Rollatini

  • 1 eggplant, thinly sliced
  • flour
  • eggs
  • pesto
  • ricotta
  • grated parmesan
  • garlic powder
  • parsley
  • salt & pepper
  • tomato sauce

Dip thin slices of eggplant in flour and then egg. Fry until lightly browned on both sides.

Mix ricotta, parmesan, 1 egg, garlic powder, lots of chopped parsley, and a bit of S&P.

Spread cooked eggplant with pesto and then with ricotta. Roll up and place seam-side down in baking dish. Top with tomato sauce and bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, or until heated through.

If you want to serve them as an appetizer, don't top them with the sauce - have it available on the side.

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Totally stellar - no matter how you do it!

 


Playing Peter Piper

Victor and Blanche were out back early this morning checking out the garden. Things are coming in fast and furious, right now - especially tomatoes and peppers. And squash. And eggplant. And green beans.

I went out to join them and Victor handed me a basket of peppers, saying I had a project for today - canning peppers!

We've been picking and eating peppers for a couple of weeks, but I've really been waiting for the moment when I could put up a few pints. That moment was today!

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We have about 8 pepper plants out back - all different varieties from cayenne to Italian Long Hots and jalapeños and even a plain ol' bell pepper. We're pretty basic in our pepper consumption. We fry up a bunch and keep them in oil in the 'fridge - great for pasta, sandwiches, eating with cheese or bread or whatever - and then I can a bunch for eating year-round on or with absolutely anything. There's no plan - they're peppers. Eat them.

I have a very simple, basic vinegar solution I put together using plain distilled white vinegar. Nothing fancy and nothing to take away from the peppers, themselves. You can go crazy using different flavored vinegars and adding herbs or spices, onions, whatever - and I definitely encourage people to play and experiment - but at this point in time, I'm happy to let the peppers play the staring role.

Simplicity.

I started by slicing them all - complete with seeds.

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And then packing them into boiling hot jars. This is the stuff that's important in home-canning. Boiling the jars, everything scrupulously clean and sterile... Ya just don't want to kill anyone. It would ruin their day. And yours.

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Next comes the pouring of the vinegar solution - also boiling hot. And then wiping the rims, placing the sterilized lids and rings, and processing in the boiling water bath.

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It's a pretty simple process - you just want to work quickly.

And then, in 15 or so minutes, we have peppers that would last for years - except we tend to eat them rather quickly.

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Today, I made 11 half-pints. If the gardening gods are willing, I should be able to get at least that many more into the basement this season.

Pickled Peppers

(makes about 10 1/2-cup jars

  • 4 lbs assorted hot peppers
  • 4 cups distilled white vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 4 tsp kosher salt

Wash and cut peppers.

Pack peppers into mason jars leaving about 1/2″ headroom.

Combine and heat sugar, salt, vinegar, and water.  Bring to boil and then simmer about 5-6 minutes.

Pour over peppers, leaving the same 1/2″ headroom.

Wipe rims of jars, top with lids and rings.

Process in a boiling water bath about 10 minutes.

I doubled the recipe today and had just a bit left over. I also processed for 15 minutes because I used 1/2 pint jars.

There's still a boatload of produce coming up out there. Planting a garden is like growing money. While it wasn't the reason we decided to go with the garden, we're spending close to zero money on produce, right now. It's great. And we have stuff downstairs that will keep us fed through the winter.

We probably should have started doing this years ago, but I really am happy we finally did. The difference in flavor is astounding and it is just so satisfying knowing that you grew dinner.

Really.

 

 

 


Garden Bounty

We did a bit of tag-teaming in the kitchen, today.  We picked a bit of produce from the yard and had to think of ways to use it. I've had friends for years that have had CSA shares and have spoken about getting massive amounts of something in their boxes and being at a loss as to what to do.

We didn't exactly have massive amounts of anything - yet - but three eggplants is a lot for me.

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And there are more where those came from!

I have wanted to do a stuffed eggplant since the day we planted them, and tonight I got my wish. The other two became caponata.

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5 pints went downstairs to join the if Trump gets elected we're screwed hoard. And one went into the 'fridge for snacking.

While I was stuffing eggplant and making caponata, Victor was making a baked pasta using the crookneck squash - another vegetable that is taking over out there. Thank goodness these are things we like!

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The recipes all come from Lidia.

Baked Zucchini and Shells

Ingredients

  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 1 pound crookneck squash, sliced
  • One 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
  • 3/4 pound sheels
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 8 ounces shredded Fontina
  • 1 cup grated Grana Padano

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for pasta. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

2. Add the onion, and cook until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the squash, and cook until it begins to soften, another 5 minutes. Add the salt, then the crushed tomatoes with 1 cup water. Bring the sauce to a boil, and simmer just until it thickens, about 8 to 10 minutes, but don't let the squash begin to fall apart. Then toss in the chopped basil.

3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente, a few minutes shy of the package directions. Drain the pasta, and toss it in the skillet with the tomato sauce and basil.

4. Butter a 9-x-13-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, toss together the two cheeses. Spread half the pasta and sauce in the baking dish, and top with half the cheese. Layer the remaining pasta and sauce, then the remaining cheese.

5. Bake, uncovered, until browned and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

And the Caponata:

Sicilian Caponata

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs eggplant
  • 2-1/2 tsp salt
  • ½ cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 medium onions, peeled cut in 1-1/2 inch chunks
  • 2 cups celery, trimmed cut in 1-inch chunks
  • 1 cup cerignola or other large green brine-cured olives, pitted and cut in ½-inch pieces
  • 1 pound fresh plum tomatoes
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup small capers, drained
  • 10 large fresh basil leaves

Directions

Trim the eggplants and slice them (skin on) into chunks about 2-inches long and 1-inch thick. Toss the chunks with 2 teaspoons of salt and drain in a colander for 30 minutes to an hour. Rinse and pat them dry with paper towels.

Meanwhile pour the red wine vinegar and ½ cup water into the small pan, stir in the sugar and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half and syrupy, then remove from the heat.

Slice the onions into 1-1/2 pieces—you should have about 4 cups. Trim the celery stalks (and peel them if they’re tough and stringy) then chop in 1-inch chunks. Slice the plum tomatoes lengthwise into 1-inch thick wedges; scrape out the seeds and put the wedges in a sieve to drain off the juices. Roughly chop the pitted olives into ½-inch pieces.

To fry the eggplant, pour the cup of vegetable oil into the skillet and set over medium heat. Spread all the eggplant chunks in the hot oil and fry for 10 to 15 minutes, tossing and stirring frequently, until the eggplant is soft and cooked through and nicely browned on all sides. Turn off the heat, lift the chunks out of the oil with a slotted spoon and spread them on paper towels to drain. Discard the frying oil and wipe out the skillet.

Pour ¼ cup of the olive oil in the skillet and set it over medium heat. Stir in the onion and celery chunks, season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, tossing often, until they’ve wilted and lightly colored, 8 minutes or so. Toss in the olives and the capers, heat quickly until sizzling, then scatter in the tomatoes wedges and fold them in with the other vegetables. Season with another ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until the tomatoes are hot and softened but still holding their shape, about 5 minutes.

Spread the eggplant chunks on top of the onions and tomatoes, still over medium heat, and turn them in gently with a big spoon or spatula. When everything is sizzling, pour the vinegar syrup all over and stir it in. Cook a bit longer, then drizzle another couple tablespoons of olive oil over and stir in.

Cook the vegetables together for about 10 minutes, then turn off the heat. Tear the basil leaves into shreds and stir them into the caponata. Taste and adjust the seasonings; let cool to room temperature and serve.

And the stuffed eggplant.

Melanzane Ripiene alla Pugliese

Ingredients:

  • 6 small or 2 medium/large eggplants (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
  • 2 ripe medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup grated Grana Padano
  • 1 cup grated Itallian Fontina
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Halve the eggplants lengthwise. Scoop out any seeds, then scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/2 inch shell. Cut the eggplant flesh into small cubes. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season the inside of the eggplant shells with 1 teaspoon of salt., then brown them, cut side down, in the oil, about 2 minutes. Remove and place in an oiled baking dish, cut side up.

In the same skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the eggplant flesh and garlic. Once the eggplant has begun to wilt, add the tomatoes and crushed red pepper and cook until the eggplant is tender but the tomatoes retain their shape, about 5 minutes. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, stir in half the cheeses, parsley, and mint. Stuff the filling into the eggplant shells and sprinkle with the additional cheese. Cover with foil, and bake until the eggplant shells are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until the top is browned, about 10 to 15 minutes more.

I used one good-sized eggplant and just adjusted the filling ingredients. I also used one of the peppers from the garden in place of the red pepper flakes.

It was a great dinner and we have caponata downstairs for treats this winter - if they last that long!

 


Tuna Steaks and Garden Bounty

Dinner was easy to pull together, tonight. The green bean salad was already made, the pesto was already made... all I had to do was boil water and put tuna on the grill. Both were pretty easy.

I chopped some lemon thyme, oregano, and parsley from the garden and rubbed it on the tuna with some olive oil. The pennette, I just tossed in a pot.

Nonna ate around the beans but loved the tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes are still one food she really enjoys. We'll see how she feels about them after the summer onslaught!


Sunday in the Kitchen

It's been a fun day in the kitchen. I made Mint Pepper Jelly and fried peppers, and Victor made Green Bean Salad, Walnut Pesto, and Pistachio Pesto. All before noon!

We can be industrious when we want to be.

If you have ever planted mint in your life, you know that it grows like a weed, is invasive, and you will never - ever - get rid of it. Knowing this the hard way, we have mint in containers where it can be contained. It still grows like crazy and there is no way we will ever be able to use it all - but I did take a stab at it, today.

We have spearmint and peppermint growing out back and I've been thinking about a mint jelly for a while. When Victor came in with a basket of peppers this morning, mint and pepper jelly became a reality.

It's a simple water bath recipe anyone can do at home without any special equipment. You really just need canning jars and a pot big enough to boil the filled jars. Pots and jars we have by the truckload, so I just jumped right in. You do want to have everything ready when the jelly is done, so make sure your jars are boiled, water is boiling in the canning pot and all that when the jelly is ready.

Mint and Pepper Jelly

  • 2 cups fresh mint, divided
  • 2 hot peppers
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1 pouch (3 oz) liquid pectin

Roughly chop mint and set 1/4 cup aside. Place remaining mint in pot with water and bring to a boil. Let boil rapidly for a couple of minutes, cover, remove from heat, and let steep about 30 minutes.

Drain well, squeezing leaves to get as much liquid as possible.

Finely mince peppers and remaining mint.

Add mint liquid, sugar, peppers, mint, apple cider vinegar, and lime juice to pot. Bring to a rolling boil and boil 3-5 minutes. Stir in pectin and boil another minute.

Pour into sterile jars and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

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When that was done, I started on the peppers.

This was the first batch coming out of the yard. There are so many peppers growing it is scary. We still have some canned from last year. I need to start eating them faster. In the meantime, these were just fried in olive oil and placed in the refrigerator.

They're good on anything.

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I cleaned up and it was Victor's turn. He's the Pesto King so I let him have at it.

Basil is another weed growing out back. The more you use the more it grows. We have it in two different areas and both of them are approaching out of control. The answer, my friend, is pesto. Not just any ol' pesto, however... Victor made Pistachio Pesto and Walnut Pesto, today!

First the pistachio...

and then the walnut.

The recipe is the same for both of them - just switch out the nuts. And you can always just go with the traditional pine nuts, if you're so inclined. This isn't a chiseled-in-stone recipe. It's merely a guideline. You can add more or less of any ingredient, or make it smoother or chunkier. It's up to you. The only real rule for me is blanching the basil. It helps remove the bitterness and the unwanted licorice undertones - and it sets the vibrant green color!

Pesto

  • 4 cups basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup nuts - pine, pistachio, walnut, whatever
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup pecorino romano cheese - or parmesan or any good, hard Italian grating cheese
  • salt and pepper, as desired

Blanche the basil quickly in boiling water and then plunge into ice water. Remove and drain well. (A bit of water remaining is okay - it helps in the emulsification.)

Place nuts and garlic in blender and chop well with the olive oil. Add handfuls of drained basil and process. Add the grated cheese and process until you get your desired consistency.

Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as desired.

Place in container and add a thin layer of olive oil on top to keep it fresh.

And the Green Bean Salad...

This is another throw-together salad. Cherry tomatoes from the garden - the only tomatoes that have ripened, so far - mixed with the very last store-bought tomato of the season, sundried tomatoes in oil, blanched green beans, minced garlic, olives, a bit of grated cheese, salt, pepper, and good olive oil.

Absolutely delicious.

Dinner, tonight, is going to be grilled tuna steaks, pesto pasta, and green bean salad.

::burp::

 

 


Gatò di Patate and Veggies from the Garden

Our friend George, in Sicily, has a lot of recipes on his website - very basic, simple Sicilian fare. It's the type of cooking that doesn't require a lot because the few ingredients used are quality. It's something we have lost with our factory farms and produce being shipped from six of the seven continents year-round.

We have whole generations, now, who will never get to experience the joy of eating those first ripe strawberries of the season. Or the anticipation of that first watermelon - and seeing how far you could spit the seeds. It's too bad... We have so much and take it all for granted.

While I have always been a farmer's market kinda guy - and do love exotic fruits and vegetables from around the world - I'm really really enjoying walking out into the back yard and picking vegetables for dinner. I know I've come late to the party - but at least I've shown up. It's proving that you're never too old to learn.

The first dish tonight, was George's Gatò di Patate. I thought the interesting thing about this is George says the gatò should be served cold! I served it hot right out of the oven and loved it. And, I imagine it would make a great cold side-dish. I'll taste the leftovers tomorrow and let you know my thoughts on it being served cold.

It takes a few pots and pans to get it all together, but it's definitely worth the effort!

I made it in a round casserole, but I think if I was to serve it cold I'd make it in a 9x13 pan. Cut in squares.

  • 1 kg of potatoes
  • 80 g of butter
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 2 egg whites
  • 80 g of salami
  • 80 g of cooked ham
  • 100 g of parmesan cheese
  • 250 g of provola and mozzarella cheese
  • salt & pepper
  • breadcrumbs
  • suet
  • parsley

Boil the potatoes, remove the peel and mash.

Add the butter, Parmesan cheese, egg yolks, the egg whites, crumbled salami and ham, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix everything well.

Grease with lard (suet) a saucepan, sprinkle the breadcrumbs and put between two layers of cream of potato the mozzarella into pieces and the provola cheese.

With a wooden spoon lined surface smooth. Bake at high heat and remove when golden.

The Gatò should be served cold.

The measurements are in metric because the whole entire world uses the metric system - except us. I remember 28 grams to the ounce from my cocaine-snorting days, so the conversions are pretty easy.

I used speck and pancetta in place of the salami and ham, and a blend of asiago, mozzarella, and fontina for the provolo and mozzarella. That's not a typo. The cheese he is using is a Sicilian cows milk cheese called provolo - not provolone. Use another Italian cheese - you're not going to find it locally.

Nonna cleaned her plate. She ate every single bit of it and commented on how much she liked it.

The squash came from the yard. Victor's never been a huge fan of the summer squashes - but he is now that we're growing our own! It really is a different product that the stuff you get in the store.

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All I did with this was saute a bit of onion in butter, add the cubed squash and let it cook a bit, toss in a chopped tomato, and some fresh basil, salt, and pepper. Quick, easy, and oh, so good!

That was the last purchased tomato of the season. We are about to get bombarded with them. The plan is to just gather them up and make sauce and can it - over and over until fall and no more tomatoes are left. Plus the normal tomato salad drizzled with our Sicilian olive oil.

The answer to the question will you still need me, will you still feed me when I'm sixty-four? is a resounding, YES.

I'm enjoying this!


Blueberries and Cauliflower

I'm still working on cauliflower from the garden. It's pretty amazing how many different ways one can prepare the same vegetable. I have to admit my cauliflower repertoire was pretty slim - steamed, roasted, au gratin - the basics. I've had to get a bit more creative with plants in the back yard. Not that I'm complaining. Far from it, in fact. I'm loving every head of lettuce, cauliflower, beet, squash, you name it that's coming up. But it does take a rethinking of things. For me, that's a good thing. As much as I like to cook, I can get into ruts really easy. Stopping and thinking once in a while is a good thing.

Tonight was all about using up another half a head of cauliflower in a way that Nonna would eat it. That means mushy - my least favorite way to eat any vegetable. I hit upon a fritter of sorts. Cook it, mash it, bread it, fry it. How could it be wrong?

Well - it couldn't be. This was good. Really good. And really simple. I used a fairly good sized half-head of cauliflower for this. Figure out what you have and adjust as necessary.

Cauliflower Fritters

  • 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florettes
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 cup grated cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • Bread crumbs

Boil cauliflower until over-cooked. Drain well and mash. Stir in 1/2 cup flour and 1 cup grated or shredded cheese. Use your imagination - any cheese or combination will work. Add 2 eggs, salt and pepper, and mix well.

Place bread crumbs in a bowl. Using a small scoop, drop scoops of cauliflower mixture into bread crumbs, flatten slightly, cover completely, and place on a sheet pan.

Fry in neutral oil until brown and crispy.

They were really good - and Nonna ate two of them!

Next up was a mixed grill with a blueberry fig sauce. This months Saveur magazine had a recipe for BBQ Chicken with a Blueberry Sauce. I had blueberries and figs, along with chicken, pork, and andouille sausage. A dinner was born...

Blueberry Fig Sauce

  • 11 oz fresh blueberries
  • 6 fresh figs
  • 2 cups apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 tsp chili flakes
  • pinch cinnamon
  • 1 bay leaf

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Mash the fruit a bit, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and let cook about an hour, stirring now and again.

Remove from heat and use an immersion blender (easier than a real blender) to make it as smooth as possible. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, return to pan, and let simmer, again, until reduced by about a third.

From there it can be refrigerated until you want to use it.

Brush on your meat of choice towards the end of cooking, and have some available to really douse the meat after it comes off the grill.

Once you taste the sauce, you'll find lots of uses for it - from topping ice cream to making salad dressings.

'Tis the season for fresh fruits and vegetables, but come winter, this would work with frozen, really easily.

 


Canning Cauliflower

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We have achieved cauliflower. Several heads of cauliflower. Victor called me out to the garden this morning and said he hoped I had something planned for dinner tonight using it.

A single head of cauliflower can last a bit of time with us - easily two meals. Nonna will only eat it if it's been cooked to mush, so more often than not it's just the two of us digging in, and looking at six gorgeous heads, I knew I had to get creative. I thought of just doing a simple pickled cauliflower and then remembered the book I just got - Preserving Italy by Domenica Marchetti.  I went to the index, saw Cauliflower, and started reading...

The Pickled Cauliflower with Lemon sounded promising and I could do it in a hot water bath and not have to pressure can. Plus, I had all the ingredients without having to leave the house - a very important consideration around here.

You'll have to buy Domenica's book to get her recipe - this is my interpretation...

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Pickled Cauliflower with Lemon

  • 3 heads cauliflower
  • 1 qt white vinegar
  • 1 bottle white wine
  • 1 cup water
  • lemon strips from 2 lemons
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp canning salt (or kosher salt)
  • 1 tbsp whole peppercorns
  • olive oil
  • 6 mason jars with lids

Wash cauliflower and trim to small florettes - they need to be able to snugly fit in your mason jars.

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Bring everything except the cauliflower and olive oil to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Blanche the cauliflower florettes in the boiling brine about 1 minute. Take out the cauliflower and keep the brine on a low boil.

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Pack the cauliflower into the sterilized jars. Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into each jar. Pour the hot brine into the jars leaving 1/2" headroom. Use a chopstick to stir and release any air bubbles.

Screw on the lids and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

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The recipe states the cauliflower should cure for about a week. I will probably be opening a jar tomorrow, though, as patience is not one of my better qualities.

I really liked using the vinegar/wine combination instead of the more traditional vinegar and water. It was definitely not as pungent when cooking the brine so I'm hoping for a more mellow pickling experience.

Tomorrow...

 

 

 


Sautéed Shredded Cabbage and Squash

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I married a man who doesn't like cabbage. I mean, Victor has a bazillion or two other redeeming qualities, but every now and again, I miss my cabbage.

He's tried... He's even made me one of the best stuffed cabbage dishes, ever - courtesy of Ina Garten. But truth be known, if he never saw it again, he really wouldn't be all that upset.

And then we planted cabbage in the garden. Just a couple of heads, but, there it is.

That's a bit of a game-changer! It's one thing to eschew something at the store. It's another thing entirely when it's growing in your backyard. I don't think either of us really thought we were going to get actual heads of cabbage. Imagine our surprise when we did!

Naturally, if it's in the garden we have to eat it, so I started looking for some recipes, today. I wanted something that would pretty much hide the cabbage intensity and quickly found a recipe from the New York Times.

It's a mixture of shredded cabbage and shredded winter squash - in my case, it was a delicata - along with rice, eggs, and cheese. How could it be bad?!?

Sautéed Shredded Cabbage and Squash

adapted from the New York Times

for the vegetables:

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound winter squash, peeled and shredded
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • ¾ pound green cabbage, shredded
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

for the gratin:

  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup low-fat milk
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup rice or barley, cooked and cooled
  • 2 ounces Gruyère, grated (1/2 cup)
  • 1 ounce Parmesan, grated (1/4 cup)

put it together:

Start your rice.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet or a wok and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the shredded winter squash and the garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until not quite tender, about 10 minutes, and add the remaining oil, the cabbage, sage, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.

Continue to cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375º and butter a 2-quart baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir in the cooked grains and the cooked vegetables.

Add the cheeses and stir everything together, then scrape into the prepared baking dish.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and the gratin is set. Allow to cool for 15 minutes or longer before serving. The gratin is good hot, warm or at room temperature.

I used dried sage and thyme - I always have dried herbs on hand - and cut the amount back to 1 teaspoon each.

The flavor was very much like that of a stuffing - and both Victor and Nonna loved it! Victor actually said I could cook it any time I wanted! That's a pretty big compliment from a non-cabbage-liker!

It really is full of Autumn flavors and I think it would be great for Thanksgiving!

Methinks we shall be making this, again!