There's Always Something!

Torta Salata di Zucchine, Ricotta, Olive & Pomodorini

Zucchini, Ricotta Cheese, Olive & Cherry Tomato Tart

If you have a roll of puff-pastry in the fridge, you always have a meal, ready to be made... you can always improvise something and there is no limit to what that something might be. Sweet, savory, something in-between... whatever you do- having it encrusted in layers of light, flaky, buttery goodness is going to make it so much better!

And so, I checked out the fridge, took stock of what I had... and put together this little creation right here!

Well... it is Thursday... 2 days to market day... so no. Not LOTS per se... but plenty of options for improvising a savory tart for supper... the last couple of spoonfuls of ricotta, a small, round zucchini, a few cherry tomatoes, some olives and fresh herbs... that's already enough to prepare a small feast!

So, you have seen the picture, now check out the ingredients! Hard to imagine, but apart from the circle of pastry that I used, this was all that I needed! 1 small round zucchini- whereby a regular zucchini works exactly the same, 6 olives, 6 cherry tomatoes, a little fresh parsley and thyme, a little dried oregano and nutmeg, and of course a little salt and pepper.

It IS very, very simple... but the flavors go together very, very well... need I say more? Except for how to put them all together? I didn't think so! So... read on!

For the filling, simply grate the zucchini coarsely and pop it into a bowl with 2 tablespoons of fresh ricotta. Chop the olives up relatively small, pluck the thyme leaves from the stems, finely chop the parsley and stir all this together with plenty of freshly ground nutmeg and a good pinch of salt and pepper.

Remember to turn your oven on in advance, before you start stirring your filling together... because it won't take long before you will be ready to bake!

Lay your pastry out in your baking dish, tray or pan and spoon in the zucchini, ricotta, olive and herb filling. Spread it out evenly and then arrange the halved cherry tomatoes decoratively on top. Add a few extra olives, sprinkle the tomatoes with salt and dried oregano, grind with a little fresh pepper and then bake in a hot oven, at 190°C for 40-45 minutes until the pastry is puffy, flaky and golden brown. 

The salt and oregano go to season the tomatoes of course, but they also help to draw out moisture during baking, so that the tomatoes cook through better.

And after 45 minutes or so, your tart will look like this- pretty good, considering it was made from next to nothing, eh?

The taste will become firmer and easier to slice if you allow it to cool... but if you are as impatient and hungry as I was and you are careful... you can enjoy it hot, hot, hot- just like I did!

Serve with a little fresh thyme for a touch of color and freshness and thoroughly enjoy! It almost feels like Summer all over again!

Except for the fact that it is cold and dark outside- lol!

Ha! And there I was, fretting over what to make for supper!

Lovely and tasty whichever way you turn it!

Only Choking!

Zuppa di Topinambur & Pasta Integrale

Jerusalem Artichoke & Full Grain Noodle Soup

Soup- always a good meal when it's cold and miserable outside and always something you can put together from even the most basic of ingredients. And yet- people tend to always eat the same-old-same-old thing!

You can tell me it's because you know and love your favorites... but honestly! Life is too short for that! Try something new now and again and you may well stumble across something as wonderful as this!

Call them Jerusalem artichokes, or sun chokes, or topinambur... but these gnarly root vegetables are delicious and do indeed have a flavor reminiscent of artichokes, whilst being much easier of course to prepare. 

Once peeled, white and plain and looking like potatoes, they may even fool you into thinking that they can be treated in the same way- but they have less starch than potatoes, making their consistency not quite as smooth and pleasing as a regular potato. So this evening, I decided to concentrate on their flavor and use them in a slightly different way than usual.

For 2 bowls of soup, I needed 3 Jerusalem artichokes, 1 onion, 2 carrots, 1 stalk of celery, a good handful of whole wheat pasta (but regular pasta or rice would also be fine), a little fresh ginger and parsley, salt, pepper and olive oil. And about 45 minutes of time.

The result was a simple, comforting, mild and flavorful soup, with a rich artichoke and ginger flavor that is complemented by the olive oil at the end. It IS as simple as it sounds- but when something tastes so pleasant in its simplicity... why spoil it?

I began by sweating the "holy trinity" of union, carrot and celery, all finely diced, in a little olive oil, together with just 1" or so of equally finely chopped ginger.

Once the onion had become translucent, I added the Jerusalem artichokes, which I peeled and grated very coarsely. I stirred them in briefly with the other ingredients, seasoned with salt and pepper, then deglazed the saucepan with plenty of boiling water- enough for my 2 bowlfuls of soup and brought everything to the boil.

Once boiling, I reduced the heat to a gentle simmer, put on the lid and let it cook away for the next 30 minutes, with a bay leaf added for a hint of aroma- an afterthought... but a good one!

After 30 minutes, I checked the seasoning and yes, it needed a little more salt (it's always the way!) and added my little noodles. it really doesn't matter which kind of noodles you add, but I had these nice, slightly nuttier-flavored whole wheat tubes. So in they went!

Once the soup had come back up to the boil- I lowered the heat to a simmer again and let the noodles cook for the next 10 minutes- And in the meantime, all I needed to do was finely chop a little parsley, get my olive oil ready, grab a bowl... and get ready to serve up my finished soup!

With a sprinkle of freshly, finely chopped parsley, freshly ground pepper and a drizzle of raw, extra virgin olive oil... this was a lovely taste of the Mediterranean again! Like the simple, vegetable noodle soups I grew up with... and pleasing through and through!

It doesn't need to be any richer, fancier or fussier than this- the ginger, artichoke and olive oil flavors are wonderful all by themselves! But better still all together as one!

Keep On Rolling

Involtini di Cavolo Cappuccio in Umido all'Asiatica

Asian-Styled Steamed Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Stuffed cabbage- a Winter favorite the world over and known and loved by all in one form or another- another favorite comfort food and one I had not made for a long time! So it was long overdue!

This evening, I decided to improvise and Asian-inspired preparation- simple, un-fussy and delicious. Just the way I always like my food to be.

To be honest, I was originally intending to use a completely different method for stuffing this tiny cabbage- but as the leaves began to peel away, each one but the size of the palm of my hand, I was suddenly inspired to take advantage of the shape and size and made them much simpler. Why stress, when you can save work and do less?

This is, yet again, another of those recipes, where basically, you will only know how much of each ingredient you are going to need, depending on the size of the cabbage you use. So it will vary. But have a look at what I did and use it as a rough guideline and you should be fine.

Ok- the cabbage I used was a very small one- just about the size of a grapefruit- but this had great advantages- because the leaves and their stalks are much more tender and they are also easier to handle. I had 250g of ground pork and this proved to be enough filling for me to make 12 small rolls. That that meant of course, 12 little cabbage leaves. Otherwise, all I needed was a little fresh ginger, a small green pepper, a little fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon of Chinese 5-spice powder, 1 teaspoon of miso paste and 1 teaspoon of Chinese chili-red bean paste.

The result was rich, mildly spicy, sweet, savory and healthy, feel-good food, Perfect with rice, potatoes or a hunk of bread- this is good Winter fare that does not taste wildly exotic, but is also not that plain old bland old-fashioned dish of yesteryear. It's just plain GOOD!

Begin by making your pork filling, by adding about 2" of finely chopped ginger, the finely chopped pepper (without seeds), a little finely chopped parsley, the chili-bean paste and the 5-spice powder. Stir together, knead together and make sure you get all of the ingredients evenly mixed-in.

There is plenty of seasoning in that bean paste, so you will not need any salt or pepper- it is like using soy sauce and has chili in there- which is excellent! 

Pluck apart a few leaves, give them a rinse and shake them dry... and you are ready to roll!

Scoop around 1 heaped teaspoon of filling onto the thin end of the cabbage leaf and roll-shut towards the stalk end. Give the roll a firm squeeze and set to one side whilst you do the same with the rest until you have used up all of your filling. 

Even though my cabbage was really small- it didn't even take half of it to make 12 rolls! Pretty good going, I'd say!

Of course, the rolls will open up a little whilst you work- but you don't want to worry about that... because I did't worry about it either- and mine worked out just fine!

Before you get too worked up, get yourself about 1 mugful of water boiling and add your miso paste to it... stir it in, make sure it is completely dissolved- and you have your cooking broth ready. Now... back to those rolls!

Roll up your cabbage leaves again and this time, set them down, with the thicker, stalk-end of the leaf facing downwards and squeeze them together nicely and tightly into the bottom of your saucepan. You can of course tie them up with twine or obsess over them- but if you are careful, they are not going to go anywhere!

All you need to do now is to pour in your miso broth, bring it to the boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and put on the lid. Make sure it's a nice tight fit, keep the steam trapped inside... go make yourself a drink and don't come back until at least 1 hour later. Yeah- relax, have a rest! You deserve it! The food will take care of itself from now on...

If you make your rolls this small, 1 hour of cooking will be plenty to have your cabbage soft and tender... the meat will of course be more than well cooked- and all of the juices will be combined together and trapped right there in the saucepan... spices, meat, cabbage, peppers... wonderful!

Just 2 little bites and each of these little rolls is gone... but what wonderfully delicious little bites they will be!

Sometimes, some thing can be so simple and yet so good! Give this a try and you'll see what I mean! And I hope you enjoy it too!

Norma Gets Angry!

Caserecce alla Norma, all'Arrabbiata con Melanzane Perline

Caserecce alla Norma, all'Arrabbiata with Japanese Eggplant

A very basic version of a very basic dish, this "pasta alla Norma" was made a little more special by adding a little fresh pepper and a good pinch of hot chili flakes... and of course by using those beautiful, long, slender, purple eggplants!

Otherwise, the stars of the show were obviously the tomatoes, eggplants, salted ricotta and basil, the signature ingredients of this Sicilian classic... and with such wonderful ingredients, it is no wonder that this dish is destined to be wonderful, right from the start!

The taste of Sicily, the joy and vibrance of good, simple cooking and treat for the taste buds as well as the eyes- what's not to like here?!?!

Deceptively known as Japanese eggplants in the USA, these lovely little finger-thick beauties came from sunny Sicily to cheer up my Winter evening!

To make my 2 plates of pasta, I needed 4 eggplants (or 1 regular sized eggplant), 1 mildly hot, fresh green pepper, 15 little "date" or cherry tomatoes, plenty of fresh basil, salt, pepper, olive oil and chili flakes. 

Garlic would be a good addition, but I prepared mine without... something that my sister and my brother-in-law would welcome! Because trust me- most of our dishes down South use much less garlic, if any at all, than you may think!

And let's face it... garlic or no garlic- there are already a lot of flavors going on in this dish as it is! Am I right- or am I right? wink emoticon

Begin by frying the eggplant, cut in half lengthways and then into bite-sized pieces of around 2", in just a little olive oil.

Fry until the eggplant has soaked up all of the oil and is wonderfully and deeply golden brown, then set to one side and start your pasta boiling before you begin with the tomatoes.

Let the pasta boil for 3-4 minutes before beginning to fry the halved little tomatoes and the thinly sliced green pepper together in a touch of olive oil. Add a tiny pinch of sugar, a pinch of salt and fry until they begin to slightly caramelize and become brown.

Once the pasta is ready, whichever pasta you decide to use, add it to the eggplants and tomatoes and stir or toss thoroughly together. Continue cooking together for a further 2-3 minutes and then get ready to serve!

Add a good sprinkle of chili flakes, a little freshly grated salted ricotta and plenty of fresh basil... drizzle lightly with a last hint of olive oil... and swoon!

Beautiful and tasty- and even more so when it all gets tossed and mingled and all of those flavors combine!

Yes, there is a pretty good chance that you are going to enjoy this too!

Flat-Out Fantastic!

Piadina con Cime di Rapa, Bacon, Ricotta & Olive 

Piadina (or Tortilla) with Broccoli Rabe, Bacon, Ricotta & Olives

Is it a piadina? Is it a tortilla? Does it matter?!?!? Not really! It is a flatbread, a plain and simple, thinner than thin bread made to wrap things in or to pick things up with as a part of your meal. They can be made into sandwich type affairs like tacos or burritos or wraps, they can be dipped into to things... they can be whatever you want them to be!

Well- this evening I wanted mine to be something like THIS!

What a delight to combine salty bacon and rich olives with creamy ricotta cheese and bittersweet, tender broccoli rabe! And with some added fennel seed and nutmeg to enhance the flavors and make everything complete- this was a pretty wonderful treat for a Southern Italian guy like me! 

Maybe it would be for you too? Whaddaya think?

3 little, young stalks of broccoli rabe, 4-5 thin rashers of bacon, a few olives, 2-3 tablespoons of fresh ricotta, salt, pepper, nutmeg and fennel seeds. That's all it took! And about 30 minutes to prepare. Sounds like a good deal to me!

Down in Sicily and in the South of Italy in general, bitter greens are often used in pizza and pie type dishes and even in sandwiches. They are great in combination with fattier products like sausage or bacon, delicious with olives and such a traditional and essential part of the cuisine that it is hard for me to imagine doing without them... and so I don't! I enjoy them as often as I can!

I separated the leaves from the stalks of the broccoli rabe and cut the stalks in half or quarters as required, so that they were all about the same width. I cut them into 2-3" lengths and fried them together with the bacon, also cut into 2-3" lengths, together with a teaspoon of fennel seed until the bacon slightly began to brown and the broccoli became a deeper shade of green.

I then added the leaves, still wet from rinsing, straight on top and put on the lid so that everything would steam inside. After 2-3 minutes, I gave everything a stir and replaced the lid for a further 4-5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. And whilst that was happening, I turned on the grill in my oven to get it nice and hot and ready.

After around 10 minutes of cooking and steaming in all, the greens had wilted down, the stalks were tender and the bacon had infused everything with flavor. It looked a little bit sorry for itself at that point... but that would soon change!

I set the pan to one side to cool and got busy with the tortilla and the ricotta in the meantime...

I spread the tortilla generously, but not ridiculously so, with ricotta, sprinkled it lightly with salt and grated it generously with nutmeg. Don't add too much ricotta, or you run the risk of making your piadina or tortilla too soggy.

I then added the greens, bacon and olives to the ricotta coated piadina, grated it generously with fresh black pepper and popped it onto the stovetop for 2-3 minutes, until I noticed the tortilla beginning to steam a little from the middle- and then transferred it to my hot oven for 3-4 minutes under the broiler, which was set to the highest setting. This made the edges of the tortilla brown, the bacon crisped-up and came to life and everything muted together and became one wonderful, glorious creation...

Hot, steaming, crispy and delicious- waiting to be cut into quarters, folded over and eaten as quickly as possible! And all I can say is... buon appetito! smile emoticon