Zucchini and Buffalo Mozzarella Bundles

Tags

appetizers, buffalo mozzarella, seasonal, Vegetarian, zucchini, zucchini sides

If you grow your own zucchini, you’re probably starting to have an abundance of them right about now.  I know we are.  Green ones.  Yellow ones.  I’ve been enjoying our zucchini in many different ways this past week.  And if you do grow them, check out my Awesome Blossoms post and make use of those delectable zucchini flowers.  Fiori di zucchini.  They are a favourite summertime treat in our household.

Another favourite in the summertime is putting out an array of various nibbles on the table and making a meal of it.  With good friends.  Crusty bread, cheese, olives, roasted peppers, eggplant, tomato and cucumber salad, prosciutto, and these little zucchini bundles.  Stuffed with blissful buffalo mozzarella, a cheese made in Italy with milk from the water buffalo, and fresh basil leaves.  Perfect summertime treat!

Ingredients

Green and yellow zucchini

Mozzarella di Bufala, or fresh mozzarella

Fresh basil leaves

salt

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Bring some water to a boil in a medium pan and plunge the entire zucchini, whole, into the water for 3 minutes, 4 minutes for larger zucchini.  The reason for this is because the zucchini, once thinly sliced, needs to be pliable enough to roll. I tried without boiling first and I wasn’t able to roll them into little bundles.  Remove zucchini from the water and place in a colander, running cold water over them for a few minutes.

When cool enough to handle, slice as thinly as possible.  I used a mandolin at the smallest setting.  Lay out the slices on a tea towel and cover with another towel, allowing for the water from the zucchini to be absorbed.  Let sit until ready to roll.

Pat the buffalo mozzarella dry with paper towels.  Chop into small bites, no wider than the zucchini slices.  Chop or tear the fresh basil in similar sizes. 30 minutes before serving, roll into little bundles.  Sprinkle the slices lightly with salt, place a basil leaf on one end of a zucchini slice and add the mozzarella on top.  Roll into a bundle and place on a dish.  Drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and serve immediately.  Buon appetito!

Asparagus Bites with Speck

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appetizers, asparagus, asparagus appetizer, asparagus with speck, Italian appetizers, roasted asparagus, smoked prosciutto, speck

Should you be lucky enough to find some asparagus in your area, you should give this simple yet delicious appetizer a try. We’re still seeing asparagus here in Montreal. I guess sometimes it pays to live in a colder climate. Hmmm. I’ll have to re-think that comment.

You all know prosciutto. But are you familiar with speck? Speck is, basically, smoked prosciutto. And if you love prosciutto, you will love speck! Native to the Alto Adige, a region of Northern Italy which straddles Southern Austria, speck is a protected designation of origin (D.O.P.), as with most Italian food products. This guarantees that we are getting a product that tastes as good as traditional prosciutto and made in a way that honors the small-scale handmade approach to smoking meat. The cuisine for this part of Italy, which includes the province of Bolzano, is quite distinctive and speck is one of the most prominent.

Making speck begins with curing the legs of pork in salt and a spice combination which may include juniper berries, laurel, pepper, nutmeg and coriander. After this the smoking process begins. Speck is smoked slowly and intermittently for two or three hours a day, with the whole process taking about 3 months. Slow smoking allows for the inner layers of meat to be really penetrated with the flavours of the wood – commonly juniper and pine woods.

In the Alto Adige, speck is highly revered and is often eaten with most meals. It is equally revered in my home as well. Deep red in color with heavily marbled traces of fat, speck is served thinly sliced as an appetizer, or used to flavor cooked dishes. Or as I like to use it, rolled around a beautifully roasted or grilled asparagus spear!

Asparagus Bites with Speck

a bunch of asparagus

thinly sliced speck, or your personal favourite ham or cured meat

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Trim off the tough ends of the asparagus. Lay them out in a roasting pan. Drizzle with some olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Give them a gentle toss with your hands.

Pop them in a 400 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the asparagus. You want them to have a certain crunch and firmness to them so that once wrapped with the speck, or ham, it can be picked up with your hand and be easily munched on without falling apart. Once done, allow to cool completely.

When they’ve cooled, you can begin to roll the speck around the spears. Begin with the slice of meat facing you on the horizontal, and place the spear vertically on one end. As you begin to roll, do so at a slightly twisted angle, allowing for the speck to twist around the spear, covering most of it.

Serve immediately. Otherwise, cover with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Ultimate Stovetop Potatoes

Tags

fried potatoes, potatoes, side dish, stove-top potatoes

Potatoes, the world’s favourite root vegetable. Whether or not it is loved as much in your household as it is in mine, you have got to give these a try. So simple, yet amazingly scrumptious! What makes them so good? They’re fried in butter and extra virgin olive oil until they’ve absorbed all of that yumminess, making them crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

As I was cutting up the potatoes, Peter walked into the kitchen and asked if those were just for the girls. When I replied in the negative, he asked if I was kidding. Those wouldn’t be enough for the four of us, he went on. He had a point. Of course, we could always eat more potatoes. But did we really need to?

I peeled and cubed 4 large Yukon Gold potatoes.  I rinsed them in cold water and then dried them on a dish towel.

In a frying pan over medium heat, I added 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 or 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. I added the potatoes, pepper and about 1 teaspoon of salt. I let them sit in the pan for about 6 or 7 minutes without stirring, allowing for a crust to form.

Once I did stir them, I allowed them to cook for a good 5 minutes at a time before stirring again. After a total of about 25 or 30 minutes, having absorbed all of that golden butter and fruity olive oil, they were done.

Peter was right after all. Charlotte took her first bite and was in Potato Heaven. As for Emma, they were the best potatoes she’d ever had. An argument broke out over who would get the left-overs. Needless to say, there were no left-overs and all three were glaring at me, demanding to know why I had made so little potatoes. Give them a try and see for yourself. Make sure you have plenty more than I did, or you might have to quell an argument over this simple spud!