Lasagne di Zucchine

Tags

Italian, lasagne, seasonal Italian, Vegetarian, vegetarian lasagna, vegetarian main, zucchini, zucchini lasagna, zucchini recipes

This isn’t your traditional lasagne. First off, there’s no pasta. Instead, I’ve used thinly sliced zucchini to replace it. It has been so hot here in Montreal, every visit to the cottage brings an abundance of zucchini. They just love the heat, don’t they? Funny how only the yellow ones have come up. Not a single green one. No worries though. I think the yellow ones are so vibrant, bringing to mind summer and sunshine. I need to find creative ways to use up this yellow bounty so that my family doesn’t tire of it. Warning: yummy zucchini recipes coming your way!

The beauty of this dish is that all the ingredients are fresh! No pre-cooking of anything. Straight from the garden and into the oven! Served warm, at room temperature, or even cold for an al fresco meal. You decide. Whichever way you choose, I promise that you’ll have the taste of summer in every bite! Buon appetito!

Ingredients

2 medium sized zucchini, about 2 lb.

2 large tomatoes

2 balls of fresh mozzarella, or mozzarina, about 1 lb.

1 cup of bread crumbs

1 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Fresh basil, chopped

Fresh Parsley, chopped

4 eggs

Salt & pepper

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I was out of bread crumbs, so I made my own. One thing you can always be sure to find in my pantry is old bread! To the bread crumbs, add some freshly chopped basil and parsley, the Parmigiano Reggiano, salt and pepper to taste. If you’d like to make this dish entirely gluten free, you could replace the bread crumbs with parmesan, upping the amount to 2 cups. I only thought of this after the dish was made but I will definitely give it a try next time.

Slice the zucchini as thinly as you can, paper thin if possible. I used a mandolin to make things quick and easy. Do the same with the tomatoes and the fresh mozzarella.

You can now begin layering the lasagne. Pour a little olive oil in the bottom of an oven dish measuring more or less 11 inches by 14 inches. Cover the bottom with the zucchini slices. Add the mozzarella on top, followed by the tomato slices. Sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture and finish by drizzling a little olive oil over the top. Repeat the layers so you have 3 filled layers. The fourth and final layer of zucchini slices will be topped only with mozzarella and the bread crumb mixture, drizzled with olive oil.

Finally, beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the top. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 45 to 50 minutes. Allow to cool on the counter at least 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Julia della Croce, “Vegetarian Table: Italy”.

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!

Charlotte’s Ultimate Soup: Broccoli Cheddar

Tags

broccoli, Broccoli Cheddar Chowder, Broccoli Cheddar Soup, broccoli soup, cheddar, kid friendly soups, Vegetarian

Although in theory Spring arrived last Wednesday, March 20th, Mother Nature played a wicked trick on us here in Montreal. We were hit with a blizzard on Tuesday, with a record-breaking 36 cm/15 in of snow falling upon our city. And while some people thought it looked very pretty outside, all white and picturesque, I’d like to remind them that we are in the third week of March and NOT December! The ONLY good thing about the snowfall was that for a brief couple of days, the pot-hole-laden streets of Montreal were actually pleasant to drive on. Instead of feeling like I was driving through the Australian Outback, I actually felt like I was driving through the streets of a developed, industrialized country. Don’t get me wrong. I have driven through the Australian outback in a 4 x 4 and LOVED it! But I am in a city with supposedly paved streets, and my Mojita is not built for the Outback. In case you’re wondering, Mojita is my car and she is named after my favourite Summer cocktail, the Mojito. Only it’s Mojita because my baby is a she.

The other good thing about it still being Winter? Broccoli Cheddar Soup. Although it’s more of a chowder, really. Just last Monday, Charlotte mentioned that I had not made her ultimate favourite soup since last Winter. So last night, with the weather screaming for soup, I made this for her. For all of us. So yummy, I wonder how I got by this Winter without making it! And as I sit here writing this post, I’m staring out the window and watching pretty little snowflakes fall upon our city once again! Oh joy!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

4 tablespoons of butter

1 large Vidalia, Spanish or sweet onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup of flour

6 cups of chicken stock, or vegetable stock for a vegetarian version

4 potatoes, peeled and cubed, about a 1/2 inch size

2 bay leaves

3 cups of milk, I use 1%

2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets, about 6 cups

3 cups of grated Cheddar cheese, I use strong or aged

Salt & Papper, to taste

You can use regular onions if that’s what you have, I like to use the sweeter onions because of their milder flavour. Same thing with the milk. I use low-fat because that’s what we have in our home, but feel free to use whatever milk is in your fridge.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir. Add your stock, the potatoes and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, stirring often. You need to stir often otherwise the flour will settle on the bottom of the pan and the potatoes will stick to it. Trust me on this one! Once it begins to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the broccoli and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Stir in the milk and cheese and just give it another 3 minutes or so to get hot. Do not let it come to a boil or it may curdle.

Turn off the heat and remove the bay leaves. Give it a taste and season with salt and pepper. Some cheese may be saltier than others so you really need to give it a taste and adjust to your liking. Ladle soup, or chowder, into bowls and serve with some nice crusty bread. Mmmm, perfect on a cold winter’s night!

Moroccan Lentil Soup for Bone-Chilling Weather

Tags

African, lentil, Moroccan, Moroccan lentil soup, soup, Vegetarian

We have had bone-chilling weather these past 3 days. Arctic-like weather. It was -25 degrees Celsius today, -38 C with the wind chill factor! In case you’re wondering, that’s -36 Fahrenheit. Yes, really! We needed more than just a soul-warming soup for dinner. We needed a soup that would warm us to our very core. One with fiery spices which would make its way right down to our bones and set them ablaze with heat. Not necessarily hot spices, but spices with warmth. Spices like cumin, ginger, cinnamon, pepper and turmeric, a spice in the ginger family which is widely used in curries. How about a lentil soup with Moroccan heat?

Ingredients for a big batch of soup, about 12 servings

Olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ginger, minced or grated

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 tsp salt

1 tsp each of pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander, cinnamon, turmeric

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 to 2 tsp harissa, depending on your taste, optional

2 cups vegetable broth, or water

6 cups water

2 cups red lentils

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 can (28 oz/798 ml) whole, peeled tomatoes

Chopped parsley or cilantro for serving, optional

Sour cream for serving, optional

Heat olive oil, enough to cover bottom of soup pot, on medium heat.  Add onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Add celery and cook another 5 minutes.

Add all of the spices, stir and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in harissa and cook for 1 minute.

Add the liquids, lentils, tomato paste, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, mashing the tomatoes after 20 minutes.

And that’s it, as simple as that. You can, if you like, top your soup with chopped parsley or cilantro, or sour cream. Or both. I did. Serve with crusty baguette and salted butter. It’s numbing cold out there, we need foods that will stick to our ribs. Enjoy and keep warm!

Italian grilled cheese sandwich

Tags

grilled cheese sandwich, kids, mozzarella in carrozza, Vegetarian

Note how I said sandwich and not sanguich… but that’s a whole other post in itself.

It was a lazy evening and all I really wanted was a grilled cheese sandwich. Maybe a nice green salad on the side. The girls didn’t need convincing. Emma could live on grilled cheese sandwiches. And mac & cheese. Peter was the one I could not convince. It seems that grilled cheeses are for lunch, not dinner. So he was having a pork chop with a baked potato, while we were having lunch fare.

The actual name for this Neapolitan food is “Mozzarella in Carozza”. Literally translated, it means mozzarella in a carriage. I know, it doesn’t make sense to me either. But here’s what it really is. A golden, battered and deep-fried cheese sandwich, oozing with yumminess. And it has to be the fresh mozzarella, never the dry one. I believe the dry one should really only be used for lasagne, pizza and pasta al forgo (baked pasta in the oven). It’s too bland of a cheese to use any other way, I think. And use buffalo milk mozzarella if you can wing it. Oh, what a difference that will make! Apparently, this food gave rise to the fried mozzarella stick found here in North America.

There are many variations to this sandwich. I am showing you mine. Giada De Laurentis uses smoked mozzarella – actually, that would be AMAZING! – pesto, fresh basil leaves and whole wheat bread to make hers. Naples is pretty big on anchovies and adding them in is another way of doing it. Another way is to add tomato sauce. The type of bread  can also vary from one person to another. Some use whole wheat, while others swear by white bread only. From white toast bread to ciabatta to day-old bread. It’s up to you. Try a different way each time and you decide what you like best. Hopefully you’ll try my version and enjoy it!

Buffalo Mozzarella, 2 balls (1 ball will make 3 sandwiches)
White toast bread  (2 slices for each sandwich you’re making)
Eggs, lightly beaten with salt and pepper (2 eggs if making 3 sandwiches)
Flour, enough to dredge sandwiches in
Milk, about 1/2 cup
Olive Oil, for frying, about 1/4 cup

Pour the milk in a small dish or bowl, the flour in a separate bowl and the eggs in another. Again, this step varies from one person to another. Some will combine the milk and the beaten eggs together. I keep them separate. Cut all crusts off the bread slices. Slice the Buffalo mozzarella. Make sandwiches by placing the cheese on top of 1 slice of bread, leaving a little edge and topping with a second slice of bread. Once sandwiches are made, press the edges together with you fingers. The fresher the bread, the easier it will stick together. This will prevent the cheese from oozing out once it hits the fry pan, although some people leave it open. It’s up to you.

Heat the olive oil in a fry pan on medium-low heat. Dip one sandwich in the milk first, then the flour and lastly the egg. Fry on both sides until golden and crispy. Place on paper towels while you proceed to cook the rest.

Slice in half and proceed to stuff your mouth with ooey, gooey, yumminess! Doesn’t that look fabulous? Peter did seem a little envious in the end of our lunch-fare dinner!

Little Ears with Broccoli

Tags

broccoli, kid friendly, pasta, Vegetarian

As part of my plan to introduce Meatless Mondays into our meals, I decided to make some pasta tonight. The plan is to cook up a yummy dish and just pass it off for what it is.  No mention of Meatless Mondays because the last time I did that, I got attitude. And not just from the kiddies.

Pasta, broccoli, olive oil and garlic. Oh, and some freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese for a little zing.  So where do the little ears come in?  Well, the pasta in question is called “orecchiette” in Italian. Orecchie, meaning ears, and the “ette” ending refers to a small size. Little ears. Take a look and see for yourself.  They do resemble little ears, don’t you think?

Even more so when they’re cooked.

You don’t have to use orecchiette. Penne or pennette is another good choice. Spaghetti works too. Chop a head of broccoli into little florets. Mince 3 garlic cloves. Heat up some extra virgin olive oil in a pan, about 1/4 cup, on medium heat. Add garlic and after about a minute and a half, add broccoli florets. Cook for about 3 minutes and then add some water. Not much, less than 1/4 cup, just enough to continue cooking the broccoli without burning the garlic. Burnt garlic tastes bitter. Cook for a few minutes more and it’s done. Set aside.

Boil water for pasta. Add salt to boiling water. Add the pasta and cook according to package. Drain pasta, return to pot and add some extra virgin olive oil, 3 or 4 splashes. Throw in the broccoli and garlic and toss with some grated Pecorino Romano. Plate the pasta and grate more cheese over the top. You could also use Parmigiano Reggiano. Voila, dinner is served!

It was Meatless Monday and they had no clue! And they loved it!

 

Butternut Squash Soup…Italian Style!

Tags

roasted butternut squash, soup, Vegetarian

I was in the mood for butternut squash soup.  What I was not in the mood for was  something rich.  I’ve only ever had rich butternut squash soup.  Very rich.  So I thought I would try roasting the squash in the oven with olive oil. You know, bring out its  natural caramelization, making it more flavourful and thus omitting the need for butter and cream.  Where does the Italian style fit in?  That came later, as I started tasting the soup.  You’ll see.

I started out with cutting the squash into chunks.

Into a roasting pan they went, along with olive oil, salt, pepper, a few sprigs of thyme and… garlic.  I thought that just maybe, roasted garlic would be a nice touch.  4 unpeeled cloves.  Unpeeled because I would be roasting the squash at a high temperature and did not want it to burn.

I popped it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.  Depending on how big you cut up the squash, it could take longer.  Just test with a fork for doneness.

Remove the garlic from it’s husk and set the whole thing aside.

Slice an onion. Heat olive oil in a pot, or butter for a richer tasting soup, and add the onion. Cook for about 10 minutes on medium-low heat.

Add the roasted squash and garlic to the onions and give it a stir.

Add chicken broth, enough to cover the squash. You could add vegetable broth for a vegetarian version.  Cook for about 5 minutes, just enough for the broth to absorb all the flavours.

This is where I decided to add a little Italian touch to my soup. Instead of adding salt, I thought I’d grate some Parmigiano Reggiano into it.

I added some cold 1% milk, about 1 cup, maybe 1 1/2. You could adjust the amount to how thick, or thin, you like your soup. Start with 1 cup. Purée the soup with an immersion blender if you have one, otherwise carefully pour the soup in batches into a blender and purée. Return pureed soup to the pot.  If you think it’s too thick,  add more milk. Or cream for a velvety-rich soup. After giving it a taste, I decided to add a touch of Mascarpone cheese. Just because I had it in the fridge. And for yet another Italian twist to it.

It was ready to serve! Don’t you just love that colour?

And because it’s that time of year, how about a few pumpkin seeds to give it some crunch!

Oh, that was good!

Guess who’s cooking dinner

Tags

Cheese, Cooking with kids, Main Meal, pasta, Vegetarian

Emma has always loved baking.  She started  baking with me when she was 4 years old.  This past year she started coming into the kitchen while I was cooking and ask if she could help.  I always obliged.  I think that one of the best ways to get kids eating new and different foods is to get them involved with the cooking of it.  I know it works with my kids.  Because Emma gets involved with the ingredients that go into a meal and with the whole preparation of it, she becomes more familiar with those foods and therefore feels more comfortable trying them out.

I picked her up from school yesterday and said, “Guess who’s cooking dinner tonight?”  “Who?”, she asked.  I replied very excitedly, “You!”  She was equally excited, asking what she would be cooking and stated that she wanted to do it all by herself.  Fine by me!

I did have to do one thing which I thought she was just a tad too young for. Cook the giant pasta shells in boiling water and drain it.  They look like sea shells, don’t they?

Emma was on her own from here.

Empty one container of ricotta cheese into a bowl.

Chop 3 tomatoes and add to cheese.

Finely chop some parsley and basil leaves and add to cheese mixture.  

Grate some parmesan cheese into the mixture.  Add a little salt.  Mix it all up and stuff the giant pasta shells.

 

Place into a baking dish with a little olive oil poured onto the bottom.  It’s o.k. if they’re snug in there, just squeeze them in.

Pour a little olive oil over the pasta and grate some parmesan over them.

Into the oven they go.  350 degrees for 15 minutes or so and voila!  Don’t they look good?

If there are any pasta shells left over, do what Emma did.  Put them in a small baking dish, add a few dabs of butter with grated parmesan and throw them in the oven.  You know what?  They were pretty tasty! Emma even took the pictures herself and said, “You can put them on your website.”  She’s only 9!

Bountiful Basil

Tags

basil, dinner, pasta, sauces, Vegetarian

If you grow your own basil like I do, now is the perfect time to preserve this fragrant herb for the winter months.  The Birri Brothers at the Jean-Talon Market sell it by the basket, even by the bushel.  They are my go to guys for everything veggie.  Emma asked to make pesto the other day – she loves it!

Pesto originated in Genoa, an Italian port city in the region of Liguria on the Mediterranean Sea.  Aromatic basil, garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano, pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil and salt.  That’s it!  You could store it in the fridge for at least 3 weeks, or store in the freezer in small containers so you can savour that summer freshness throughout those dark and cold winters.  I also freeze some in ice-cube trays and then in freezer bags.  I throw a couple of cubes in my minestrone soup, or even steam up some veggies and then mix in a pesto cube or two. I don’t just use it with pasta.  I love to slather it on my pizza dough and then just add some cherry tomatoes and fresh mozarella.  A taste of summer in every bite!  It’s great on roast chicken, sliced tomatoes, or drizzle more olive oil into it and use it as a dipping sauce for vegetables. Or melted over some fish. The possibilities are endless.

Traditionally, pesto is made in a mortar and pestle.  “Pounding fragrant things — particularly garlic, basil, parsley — is a tremendous antidote to depression.”   (Patience Gray, British cookery and travel author.)                 If you feel the need to let out some of your frustrations, by all means pound away.  If not, use a food processor.  That’s what Emma and I did.  We simply made it by taste-testing as we went along.  Do the same and if you want it more garlicky, then add more garlic.  Or more pine nuts for a nuttier taste.

A bunch a basil leaves, we used about 4 cups
Garlic, 3 cloves
Pine Nuts, 1/2 cup
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a little more than 1/2 cup, close to 3/4 cup
Parmigiano Reggiano, grated, at least 1/2 cup
Salt, to taste

We washed and dried the basil leaves and put them in the food processor. We gave it a blitz and then added the garlic and pine nuts.  We blitzed some more and added olive oil with the food processor running.  Lastly, we added the Parmigiano and salt.  Then we tasted, added more Parmigiano and salt and tasted again.  Perfect! We had it with pasta and Parmigiano shavings.

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!