Doing the Vegetarian Twist!

Verdure Miste al Forno con Ricotta & Sale Aromatizzato

Mixed Roasted Vegetables with Ricotta Cheese + Herb-Infused Salt

 

 

I never was much of a dancer- but this twisty, twirly dish should make up for all the dances you have missed with me! I may not be much shakes on a dancef loor, but I am quite a mover in the kitchen! And that's good enough for me!

This little creation is yet another recipe that I put together to use of some last bits and pieces. It is Friday night and tomorrow is market day- so I needed to make way for the new and use up the old veggies first!

I had a green and a yellow pepper, a king oyster mushroom, an eggplant and a couple of tomatoes- as well as the last scoop of fresh ricotta- so just like the big stores do when they get to the end of the season- I decided that "everything must go!"

 

There isn't so much a recipe here, as a method- and a very simple method at that. I started off by slicing the eggplant and the mushroom thinly and pre- cooking them, in a non-stick pan, with no added oil. My whole "shtick" with this one, is to have each vegetable tasting of its own flavor as strongly as possible. And you don't do that by overpowering the products own flavors with fats and oils. Once the vegetables become soft, we can remove them from the frying pan- I did the mushroom, eggplant and peppers this way. I seasoned them with a little of my "Salt of the Earth" and set them to one side to cool down.

Pre-cooking the vegetables makes them easier to shape like this of course- but even then it is not easy! You are going to have to wash your hands people! But on the bright side of things... licking your fingers will taste pretty good! I flavored the ricotta with some crushed garlic, a hint of lemon juice and zest and a drop of olive oil. I whipped it up a little with a fork and then spread a thin coat on each vegetable- not too much! Basically, you just want the vegetable slices stick together a little. Start at the outside edge of your baking dish and layer the vegetables, alternating as you go, from the outside in.

It is a little bit tricky, but keep pressing the vegetables back from the center and pack them as tightly as possible. You may find that the tomatoes squish and slide right back out- but don't fret too much about that- just press them back in as well as possible. You will find that the ricotta will start to squeeze out of the gaps between the vegetables, but just smooth it down as best you can. Once you are finished, it may look a little messier than in my picture and have a lot of cheese on the top covering everything- so I would recommend the wipe it off the surface of the red and green peppers at least, so that you can see their colors and also, so that they will get a little bit toasted around the edges!

 

Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper- or as I did, with a flavored salt mix. The herbs, citrus and spice flavors really go well with this! Pop it into a moderate oven for around 20-20 minutes, giving it a final blast under the broiler for the last 2-3 minutes, to get it lightly brown. And mind not to burn yourself when you rush to try it- it will be HOT! So this is a simple and modest dish- but a good way to use up odds and ends and yummy to boot! So I hope you enjoy it!

 

It's OK to Be Bitter

Pasta con Agnello Tritato, Cimi di Rapa & Ricotta
Pasta with Ground Lamb, Cimi di Rapa & Ricotta

This evenings supper was made using the last of the "cimi di rapa" from last night. The leaves were delicious- slightly pungent but very nice- and I knew the stalks would be a little bit more bitter, as the rapa is a form of broccoli rabe... but yowza! This stuff is the real deal!

But fear not my intrepid gastronauts- combined in the right way these greens make a wonderful meal for a cold Fall evening. And take it from a Sicilian- that bitter stuff is good for you! We love all things bitter and for many a reason!

I started off by boiling the pasta- I used a mix of penne and rigatoni- just using up those loose ends again! The stalks of the rapa take a bit of cooking, so I put them straight into the boiling water along with my pasta. Whilst the pasta was cooking, I fried up the ground beef, along with a little crushed garlic, fennel and caraway seed- I wanted it to taste like a really delicious Italian "salsiccia", which is a classic combination with broccoli raab. Once the lamb
had started to brown, I fished out the stalks from the noodle water and transferred them to the frying pan so that they would soak up the flavors of the lamb and garlic.

Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and after around 8-9 minutes, drain the pasta off and transfer it to the frying pan too. At this point we can add a couple of spoonfuls of ricotta cheese and a little milk. Stir until the ricotta dissolves and coats everything nicely.

Serve immediately with a nice grinding of fresh chili, a chilled white Corvo- and enjoy the bitter and authentic taste of Siciy! Buon Apetito!

All Good Things Come in Pears

Pera Caramellato con Pasta Sfoglia
Caramelized Pear Puff-Pastry

Here is another of my baked desserts- from someone who does not know how to bake! All I can say is thank heavens for ready-made puff-pastry! There is always something that you can whip up and make special with a crispy, fluffy pastry toping. Tonight it was simply a toffee-like spiced pear... so easy it is almost embarrassing! But this is how I made it...

I melted 2 tablespoons of Demarera sugar in a frying pan, together with a teaspoon of butter. Whilst this was melting I grated my pear- I find there is no need to peel it for this dish. As soon as the sugar has melted, add a splash of Cointreau and a half cup of milk. The sugar will clump-together initially, but keep stirring it and it will melt again and become a smooth, toffee-cream consistency. Add the grated pear and flavor it with cinnamon, a clove or two, a sprinkle of ground star anise and a tiny hint of nutmeg. After a minute or so- remove the cloves and pour the mixture into a small oven-proof dish or ramekin.

For the pastry topping, I used my little ravioli cutter to stamp out little circles of pastry. I then made a cut into the circles to about half-way and twisted the pastry around to form little "roses". I laid these around the outside edge of the baking dish, making sure to leave some of the pear exposed so that it would turn golden and brown during baking. I had 3 more pastry circles than I needed- so voila! Extra decoration! Into the middle they went! And into the oven the whole thing went at a high heat for 5-10 minutes until the pastry puffed up and became golden brown... so simple- and so delicious!

I let it cool off slightly and gave it a light dusting with powdered sugar- and a yummy dessert was made out of just a single pear and a little sugar and spice... and isn't that nice?

Natural Food Coloring

Foglie di Rapa Ripieni con Agnello Tritato & Puré di Patate con Carote, Zenzero e Curcuma
Roulade of Ground Lamb with Carrot, Ginger & Turmeric Mash

Looks can be deceiving at times- and this exotic and unusual-looking dish is a case in point. I was considering making a little meatloaf this evening- it was another one of those days where "comfort food" could be the only solution. I was going to have some "cimi di rapa" as a side and some mashed potatoes to round it all off. Would have been a nice, simple, classic dish for a cold Fall evening too... but not exciting or fun! So basically I just juggled those same ingredients into something a little more fun...

For the ground lamb filling of my roulade, I decided to try out something a little different. I started off by chopping a shallot finely, along with a handful of fresh parsley. These went into a bowl with a good tablespoon of ricotta cheese and a finely chopped tomato. I stirred everything together and then added breadcrumbs, a little grated Parmesan cheese, some finely chopped garlic, rosemary and sweet paprika powder until I had a nice creamy mass. No egg. Not this time. I wanted to have a soft and juicy filling and thought that the egg would make this a little too dense. So I added a handful of ground lamb, a little squeeze of tomato paste, a little cayenne pepper as well as salt and regular pepper. So you see the filling isn't THAT unusual...

The green leaf I used was from what the Italians call "cimi di rapa"- which as far as I know it a kind of broccoli raab- although an internet search describes them as turnip greens- so I will just stick to the Italian name for them- it's too complicated for me otherwise- I don't want to be mis-informing you after all!

I blanched the leaves in boiling water for 2 minutes each side and immediately rinsed them under the cold water tap to make sure they stayed nice and green looking. I flattened the stalk with a rolling pin in order to make it softer, so that the leaves would fold and seal better. I shaped the ground lamb mix into a nice meatball and laid this onto the leaf, laying this in turn on top of a sheet of Ceran wrap. Gently fold the leaf over and around the meat filling and twist the cling-film closed nice and tightly. I wrapped the whole thing in cling-film all over again and then poached it in lightly simmering water for around 20 minutes, making sure to flip it over once at the half-way mark.

The mashed potato was simply made in the usual way, but I added some grated carrot to it, that I sautéed with grated ginger until soft. I added a little butter, some turmeric powder and a little milk. I fluffed this all together using a fork and then got ready to serve!

 

I spooned a nice little mound of potatoes out and then whipped them into shape nicely with a fork to make them a little more attractive and then set the hot, juicy roulade on top- and that was it! I don't think this dish needed anything else... except for a good and healthy appetite! And I sure had that this evening- and certainly did enjoy this- and hope that you will too!

I'll Bake You a Supper You Can't Refuse...

Cardi, Pecorino & Pomodori, Gratinate alla Mollica al Forno
Cardoon, Goat Cheese, Tomato and Breadcrumb Bake

This is it- my final cardoon recipe for a while! This was the last 2 stalks of cardoon and 2 tomatoes that I transformed into a yummy vegetarian supper in just 30 minutes. Well, I say 30 minutes, as the cardoons were already pre cooked. This is- you guessed it- another one of those "left over" meals- but perfect for a cold Fall evening!

I cut the tomato into slices and fried it gently with a little onion and garlic, in a little olive oil and butter. Whilst that was going on, I finely chopped a handful of parsley and crumbled the pecorino. After 3-4 minutes, when the tomatoes were slightly soft, I removed them from the frying pan and removed the pan from the heat. I added the breadcrumbs and parsley into the pan and soaked up any remaining oil, the garlic and the onion... and was ready to go!

I added the crumbled pecorino to the breadcrumbs once they were cool and then began to assemble my dish. I spaced out the cardoons and tomatoes evenly and sprinkled them with the cheese and breadcrumb mix. I repeated this until my baking dish was full. I then pressed down on it all, so as to squash the tomatoes a little and to cause the juices to seep out. I seasoned it with salt and pepper, gave it a light drizzle of olive oil and popped it into a moderate oven for 10-15 minute until everything was steamy and soft and piping hot. I then turned on the broiler for the final 2-3 minutes, for a bit of color and crunch! And another simple Vegetarian meal was born... Sicilian-style!

Shroom with a View

Funghi, Ricotta & Chorizo ​​con Strisce di Omelette alla Parmigiana
King Oyster Mushroom, Ricotta Cheese, Chorizo and Parmesan Omelette Strips

This intricate looking creation is actually as simple as it is tasty... very simple and very tasty!
It consists of one king oyster mushroom, one egg, one heaped tablespoon of ricotta cheese, a little parsley and a small chunk of chorizo. Want to know how easy it is to make? Read on...

First things first- we need to make a simple omelette of beaten egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg to go on top. Pour the beaten egg mix into the frying pan and wait till it sets, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese. After about a minute, when the cheese has melted into the egg, flip it over once and continue frying for a further minute or so, then remove from the heat and trim down into strips for later.

Next we need to whisk together the ricotta with a little milk, a little parmesan, some chopped parsley, crushed garlic, salt and pepper. And now that we have that done, we can get back to putting this whole thing together...

Start off by slicing the mushroom and laying it out on a hot, dry pan until it begins to moisten, then flip over once. We just want to slightly pre-cook the mushroom, to get it to start exuding its juices, so that it will cook better in the oven and not simply dry up. Arrange the mushroom, as above, on a strip of parchment paper. Now lightly spread each slice of mushroom with a little tomato paste.

Next comes a generous coating of the ricotta and a few strips of chorizo. Then come the omelette strips, which we also spread lightly with some of the ricotta mix. Sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper and a hint of nutmeg and bake in a hot oven for 5 minutes, then an extra 1-2 minutes under the broiler for some nice color.

When it comes to serving, lift over to your plate on the parchment paper and then ease it off with a knife or spatula if necessary. And get ready to whiz this over to your dining table as fast as possible- as you are going to want to get it whilst it's hot!

 

Doon the Real Deal

Piccata di Cardi alla Parmigiana
Cardoon Piccata with Parmesan Cheese

Oh yes- you had better believe it- yet another cardoon recipe! And yes- there is still one more to come! For those of you who are not familiar with cardoons... they are LARGE plants!
So I had plenty of work with trimming them of their thorns and those stringy sinews- see previous threads... but once the hard work was done- there was plenty of enjoyment and tasty, healthy eating to be done too!

This may be a very simple and unexcting preparation for the artichoke stalks, but at the same time it is probably the most commonplace way for "cardi" to be served in Sicily. Back in the old country, they would be simply dipped in egg and fried until golden brown. I decided to add Parmesan cheese to the egg- for two reasons. One, of course to give them more flavor and two, because the cheese contains fat and that allowed me to get away with frying these in a "dry" non-stick frying pan.

The way I did it was this: first I sprinkled grated Parmesan onto the pan in about the size of the cardoons I was about to fry. I had dipped the cardoons into beaten egg which I flavored with a hint of salt and a good pinch of pepper. I carefully poured a little of the egg onto the cheese, let it set a little, and then laid the cardoons on top. I sprinkled them with Parmesan so that I would also get a nice golden, cheese flavored coating on the other side when I flipped them over.... easy!

I prefer to eat them hot and straight from the pan, but they are also often served cold as a side dish in Sicily. They go well with grilled or fried meat dishes- or just enjoy them as they are if you of the vegetarian persuasion... as I said- a very simple dish, but about as Sicilian as you can get!