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

Tags

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!

Awesome Blossoms

Tags

appetizers, Vegetarian

One of the things I look forward to during the summer months are zucchini flowers.  We have a garden in the country and grow our own zucchini.  I must admit, I grow zucchini specifically for the delicate, earthy-tasting flower.  It is a pure delicacy!    My dad used to dip them in a batter and fry them up every summer, creating a  crisp,golden and slightly salted fritter which brought out the natural sweetness of the zucchini flower.  An aunt of mine in Italy used to stuff them with a béchamel and then dip them in a batter and deep fry.  There are many ways to enjoy this summer treat.  My way is to do both.  I fry up half of my bounty in their simple yet delectable state and the other half I stuff with cheese.  And not just any cheese.  Gorgonzola Cheese!  A delicious Italian blue cheese.  I use the Gorgonzola Dolce for its creaminess and milder taste.  Emma and I prefer the plain ones, tasting the natural flavour of the blossom.  Charlotte absolutely loves the blue cheese ones, along with Peter.  You can use any cheese you like though.  Mozzarella, Gruyere.    You can also add anchovies and herbs, as they do in Rome.  The zucchini blossoms are either male, which are attached to the stem only, or female, which are attached to the baby zucchini.  When I find female flowers with the baby zucchini attached, I keep it as such and fry the whole thing up.  Yum!  I prefer to remove the stamens (male) and pistils (female) which are found inside the flower.  Take a look inside and by their shape alone, you will know which is which!  But make sure to take a peek inside first… a few summers ago I plunged my fingers right into one of my blossoms and was greeted by a little bee who was just as startled as I was and stung me!

Following is my own recipe fro the batter, which I sort of created this past summer.  My usual method for the batter was flour, eggs and water.  My brother, who serves up these little summer jewels at his restaurant La Vieille Banque, was visiting in the country and suggested I whip up the egg whites and then fold them in gently at the end.  The batter came out lighter and crispier than mine.  Great!  But the next time I fried these little babies up, I happened to be sipping on a beer.  When came the time to add water to my batter, I thought I’d just pour some beer right out of my bottle and see what that would give me.  A little daring, considering I had a house full of guests… but the Brits dip their fish in a beer batter, so why couldn’t an Italian dip her zucchini blossoms in one as well?  That decision turned out to make my batter the best one yet!  Puffed up, crispy little morsels!  Give it a try… and if you don’t grow your own zucchini, you can find them at the Jean-Talon Market and I saw some just the other day at the Atwater Market.  I do believe these delectable little blossoms are becoming the in-treat for the summer!

Batter

1 cup of flour
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup or so of beer (or water)
2 egg whites, beaten until light and fluffy
Salt & Pepper
Gorgonzola Dolce, if you’re stuffing
Vegetable oil for frying

Mix the flour, egg yolks and liquid of choice. Add salt and pepper.
Gently fold in the egg whites.

If you’re not stuffing, then you’re ready to dip them into the batter and fry.
If you are stuffing them, gently remove the stamens or pistils from the flowers and add some cheese into the flower, a 1-inch to 2-inch piece depending on the size of the flower. The flowers might tear a little or you might have to tear a small slit down some of them. That’s o.k., the open slits can be stuck back together by the creaminess of the cheese. Heat the oil in a fry pan, a couple of inches or so, on medium-high to high. Fry the flowers until golden in colour, turning over once. Drain on paper towels and enjoy!

Life truly is delicious!