Baked Zucchini

 429.  Summer time always provides us with plenty of beautiful vegetables and zucchini is always at the top of my list.  They are lovely and so versatile to work with as well as the flavor that will compliment any  pairing whether sweet or savory.  This is a savory dish, although using some of the same methods as my classic recipe HERE, the recipe was adapted from Antoni Porowski's cookbook for "Baked Zucchini".  

His recipe is vegan but I use ground beef in my recipe.  I followed each step but made a meatball-like filling for the deep well you create by scraping out the seeds.  Often times I will chop up the seeds and flesh removed and mix it with the filling, if the seeds are young and tender.  A light marinara sauce was a perfect base for this recipe HERE.

The breadcrumb topping was a really nice addition, although, next time I would use a finely ground parmesan cheese.

Topped off with chopped basil leaves and a side salad, this was a beautiful summer meal.  Thank you zucchini...you've done it again.  Made it on my "Summer Favorites" list.

"When I pass a flowering zucchini plant in a garden, my heart skas a beat."

~ Gwyneth Paltrow

Tomato Bruschetta

421.  Tomato Bruschetta is a lovely appetizer, a first course, tapas, or light meal.  It is also complimentary to any Italian meal and is so satisfying.  From the crunch of the toasted bread, cool tomatoes, fresh basil, hints of garlic and pulled together with olive oil.  Each bite is a delight.

Bruschetta is delicious!  Simple, satisfying and each bite is like the first bite!

"I'm into very colorful food.  Obviously lost of flavor, but I think we eat with our eyes first, so it has to look great.  The presentation has to be great."

~ Giada De Laurentiis

Roast Leg of Lamb

360. This past Sunday we celebrated Easter with family and beautiful friends.  Our menu was so tasty and crossed several ethnic lines. But, each item complemented the other.

I started the meal with fresh vegetable Crudités where I made a Lemon Garlic Aioli, Herb Sour Cream Dip, Dijon Mustard and Chive Cheese Log.  We then enjoyed Asparagus, Roasted Potatoes and homemade Dill Dinner Rolls.  But the crowning item of the meal was the Roasted Leg of Lamb.  It was divine!!  I scoured my cookbooks and wanted to find something that was unique and a detour from our usual fare.  I found a recipe for this wonderful dish in the "A Return to Sunday Dinner" book by Russell Cronkhite (order here) It was in the menu "Agape: A Love Feast"

To save recipe just select, drag and drop onto desktop or select and print from smart phone.

Here was my process...My butcher made the butterfly process more like a book than fanning it out...but it was ok.  Next time I will butterfly it myself.

 
 I had fresh basil and mint in my herb garden as well as rosemary.  Fresh makes all the difference
although, next time I would chopped the basil and mint.  I found that when you sliced it the leaves would pull out in whole pieces.

 
 
The original recipe has you remove the roast after an hour and add potatoes.  I found that the potatoes didn't roast as crispy as they should have.  Note to self...roast the potatoes separately.

 This was such a lovely meal...the lamb was perfectly tender and everyone loved it.

"Christ comes to dinner not as just the unseen guest, but in the hearts of those we love."  

~ Russell Cronkhite

Pesto Sauce

217. Summer time is here and my garden is growing happily, due to all the rain these past two weeks. During the night the rain falls and then the sun warms everything during the day. My plants in my garden and in my herb boxes are just singing!!

The basil is growing so rapidly so we needed to make Pesto. I love when you are forced to use your garden veggies and herbs because there is so much.

This recipe for Pesto is my honey's. He's been making this recipe for years and it always turns out perfect.

Pesto Sauce

2 cups fresh basil leaves, rinsed and tightly packed

4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup grated Romano or Pecorino Romano Cheese

1/2 cup chopped pine nuts or walnuts

1 teaspoon sea salt

Black pepper to taste

1/2 cup olive oil, or to desired texture

In a food processor or blender, chop garlic and nuts.

Add basil and process till a pasty consistency is reached.

Add cheese, salt and pepper.

While processor (blender) is running, add the olive oil by pouring in a slow stream until completely combined.

It is up to you if you would like your pesto very thick or runny. Adjust with your amount of olive oil.

Sauce will be a beautiful color green and a smooth, consistency. Do not over mix.

This recipe is enough for 1 pound of cooked pasta.

Just boil your pasta, drain and place in a serving bowl. Mix pesto into hot pasta and toss to coat evenly.

This is the main event! A hot bowl of Pesto Pasta and Italian bread! Dinner on the patio. That's what I like about summer!

This recipe is very short on time but very rewarding for your family and guests. You'll get never ending compliments.

Storing Pesto:

If you have any pesto unused you can store it in a small jar and cover with a little olive oil and refrigerate. Then, the next day, make a pizza and spread with pesto then cheese. It is great as a meal or appetizer!

Pesto will keep in a jar, covered with olive oil in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Do Not Freeze. Basil will turn black and the flavor changes as well.

"Pesto is the quiche of the '80s"

~N. Ephron

Pizza Toppings

181. We've been experimenting with a variety of pizza toppings. Although I love to order pizza or go to a pizzeria, homemade pizza is just as delicious.

When we make pizza at home, I usually make my dough from "scratch". Yes, flour, yeast, water. You can find my recipe here. You could also purchase a pre-made pizza dough from your local pizza shop, find dough in the freezer section of your grocery store or shop Trader Joes Market in the prepared food coolers for pizza dough.

We tried two different toppings, broccoli and tomato.

Broccoli Topping for Pizza

2 cups chopped, fresh broccoli

2 cloves garlic crushed

olive oil

salt/pepper

parmesan cheese

mozzarella cheese

pizza dough

Saute the broccoli in olive oil till bright green, add garlic and seasoning. Set aside to cool. Spread broccoli on prepared pizza dough and sprinkle parmesan cheese over broccoli evenly. Top with mozzarella cheese and bake in a 450 degree oven till cheese is browning lightly.

Stewed Rosemary Tomato Topping for Pizza

4 fresh tomatoes, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, remove rosemary leaves from stem

salt/pepper

olive oil

mozzarella cheese

pizza dough

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil for approximately 3 minutes, add tomatoes and seasoning. Saute till tomatoes begin to break down but color is bright. Set aside to cool. Spread stewed tomato on prepared pizza dough and sprinkle rosemary leaves evenly over. Top with mozzarella cheese and bake in a 450 degree oven till cheese is browning lightly.

The type of cheese you use is important. Whole milk mozzarella will give you a better overall covering and will add flavor to your pizza. Finding a cheese mix with mozzarella, provolone and parmesan is a great combination as well.

For a large pizza I will use 2 to 3 cups of cheese.

I made this pizza in my Pampered Chef bar pan.

Once the pizza was done I sprinkled whole fresh basil leaves over the top.

This was scrumptious!!! We really like using the stewed tomato topping on grilled pizza and crusty bread slices also.

"I am always doing that which I cannot do,

in order that I may learn how to do it. "

~Pablo Picasso

"Take risks: if you win, you will be happy;

if you lose, you will be wise."

~Author Unknown