summer bounty Archives - Proud Italian Cook

Tomato Harvest and the Winner of my Giveaway

August 20, 2012 by Marie 17 Comments

I’m sure many of you are thinking up different ways to use up your garden tomatoes like I am, I’m not a caner so I try to use them as they start piling up. So far I’ve made numerous caprese salads, ( a stash of fresh mozzarella is a staple in my fridge lately).
Tossed them into pastas, made gratins with them, used them with grilled meats and fish, stuffed them, made quick sauces, dried them.
I’ve roasted cherry tomatoes by the pan full and graced many things with them, pizza, panini, tarts, omelette’s, I could go on and on and so could you I bet!

Recently I made this Tomato and Corn Pie and of course It has a little Italian twist on it. My only regret is, I should have made more than one, it was that good and disappeared in a heartbeat!

I just used a good store bought refrigerated pie dough, placed it into my pie pan, brushed it with olive oil and sprinkled with black pepper, then I pricked the dough all around with a fork.
I layered the bottom with a mixture of shredded asiago, mozzarella and grated romano cheese.
On top of the cheese I scattered caramelized onions and fresh basil. Place fresh corn from the cob over that and add a quick drizzle of olive oil and more romano.
Arrange sliced tomatoes on top adding salt, pepper, dried oregano, fresh basil and another quick drizzle of olive oil. Bake in a 375 oven until crust is a nice deep brown. Let it cool down before you cut into it.

Serve this with a green salad and you have a fabulous meal!

I made this for breakfast last Sunday, Baked Eggs in Tomatoes.

Basically you cut a 1/2 inch off the top of a tomato, gently scoop out the seeds and inner membrane, being careful not to break through the flesh of the tomato. Season, drizzle with olive oil and layer the bottom with fresh corn. Place in a baking dish lined with parchment.
Whisk up one egg per tomato, I added basil, romano cheese and a bit of asiago and divide and pour mixture among the tomatoes. Top with romano and bake at 350 for 45 to 50 minutes. Serve warm.
Recipe adapted from Martha

Pop some toast in the toaster, have the coffee brewing and the Sunday paper near by and enjoy a leisurely breakfast!

Cheesey, eggy, tomatoey goodness, oh my!

And now for the winner of my blogiversary giveaway!
Before I announce the winner I just want to say thank you for all the wonderful comments I received, I enjoyed reading each and every one of them, I was touched in so many ways.

AND THE WINNER IS……..
BECKY ROCHELLE

Marie,
you have reconnected me with my love for Italian food. I too am Italian, LOOOVE food, moonstruck, the godfather and all things Amore! I live in California and have skipped over Italian at times, due to the heaviness of the foods and carbs but you have shown me the light! I am newly engaged, love to cook and have impressed my Fiance with all of your recipes- Cedar Plank Portobellos, Zucchini boats, tarts, etc… It all has been amazing! We both thank you! I have made some of your dishes for my girlfriends as well. Not only do I have the confidence that the meal will be delicious, but it also has been so fun to make and create each dish with all of the incredible tastes and color-combinations! Thank you again!
Becky Rochelle
I found you on my cousin’s Pinterest account!

Becky I will be contacting you via email, CONGRATS!

17 Comments Filed Under: Eggs, Savory Tarts, Vegetables Tagged: baked eggs in tomatoes, blogiversary giveaway winner., stuffed tomatoes, summer bounty, summer tomatoes, tomato pie

Summer Bounty Zucchini Tart

August 11, 2012 by Marie 21 Comments

Delicate zucchini blossoms and thin ribbons of squash pressed into cheesey flavored ricotta highlight this summer bounty tart and it’s nothing short of perfection!

Zucchini blossoms need to be showcased and this is the perfect canvas.

Thanks to convenient store bought puff pastry, it makes everything look so elegant when laid upon it and it tastes out of this world.
Crunchy, flaky, buttery!

Even if it sticks together because you might have left it out of the fridge too long and you couldn’t unfold it like you wanted to, ( cough cough), it still looks pretty and no one would even have a clue that you had a problem.

Here’s how you make it.

RICOTTA MIXTURE

In a bowl mix 2 heaping cups of drained ricotta

1 egg

fresh snipped basil

3 different shredded cheeses, I used romano, mozzarella and an aged chedder. At least 1/4 cup each or even more to taste. My advice, taste mixture before you add the egg.

Salt and pepper

TOPPING

In a saute pan with olive oil and 1 clove of crushed garlic, saute ribbons of zucchini, yellow squash and your zucchini blossoms for a quick minute or two until slightly wilted.

PUFF PASTRY

Line a baking sheet with parchment and unfold your cold puff pastry sheet right on to it. Lightly roll it till seams are flat and sheet looks even all around. Take a pairing knife and make a 1/2 inch border all the way around being careful not to cut through. Take a fork and prick the pastry all within the border so air can get through.

Just spread the ricotta mixture, (you’ll have extra to do another one) within the border and then lay your sauteed squash on top and dot with a few cherry tomatoes and a little drizzle of olive oil.

I like to brush my edges with olive oil and a sprinkling of romano cheese.

Cook in a 350 degree oven until edges are dark golden and crispy and so is the bottom, at least 1/2 hour could be more. Ovens vary so just check it.

ENJOY!

21 Comments Filed Under: Savory Tarts, Vegetables Tagged: puff pastry, savory ricotta tart, summer bounty, zucchini blossoms, zucchini flowers, zucchini ribbons, zucchini tart

Summer Veggie Slaw

July 23, 2012 by Marie 27 Comments

Here’s another way to start using up all the zucchini and other veggies and herbs that your garden is producing, just gather everything together and make this Summer Slaw!

It’s quite easy to do if you have this handy julienne peeler, otherwise a mandoline slicer would work as well.
Note: I cut my squash in the middle so that when I used my peeler I wouldn’t have long “spaghetti” like strips but rather shorter ones like in coleslaw.

The ingredients I used were:

Yellow squash
Zucchini
Red pepper strips
Match stick carrots
Radish, sliced and cut into strips
Green onions sliced diagonally
Red onion strips
Very fresh shucked corn or precooked
Fresh picked basil and parsley
Torn spinach leaves

No exact amounts here, just use what you have and place everything in a big bowl like I do, tossing and adding until you have a nice color balance with your veggies and herbs.

For added flavor I tossed in strips of Parmigiano Reggiano, but you can get creative and use any aged cheese you like, Fontinella and Provolone work as well because the cheese can easily be cut into strips.
For my dressing I used a simple olive oil and fresh lemon juice but if you wanted something creamier that would work also.

All the ingredients are raw except for the corn, I had two cooked cobs leftover, but feel free to use super sweet fresh corn straight from the cob uncooked.
Gently toss everything together, taste for flavor adding salt and pepper and a little grated cheese if you like, then pile high on a platter. If I had pine nuts I would have added them.
After I took the photo I added in some slivered almonds and a little crumbled feta.

This was a great side dish to my cedar planked salmon!