Proud Italian Cook

Pesto Stuffed Scallops

August 13, 2014 by Marie 15 Comments

I can honestly say I went a bit overboard in planting basil this year so I’ve been very busy making lots of pesto, but to me nothing tastes better than fresh homemade pesto! Every time I’ve bought pesto from a store I was so disappointed, it’s either way too garlicky or has a weird fake taste, so I prefer to make my own. Homemade pesto is so easy to make yourself and you can whip up a huge batch because it freezes perfectly. Just think how nice it would be to pull out a container of your pesto in the dead of winter and plop a dollop in a nice bowl of hot soup.

I also use it on my eggs, frittatas, grilled veggies, fresh tomatoes, meats, crostini, pastas and I especially love it with fish of all kinds. Have you ever tried smearing pesto on top of a beautiful piece of salmon and then baking it? It’s so flavorful, moist and delicious! I also love it on grilled shrimp and scallops. Here’s my pesto recipe.

I never thought of actually stuffing a scallop with pesto until I came across an article that Mark Bittman wrote which gave me the inspiration to make my own and another good excuse to use my homemade pesto.

It’s ridiculously simple to do, but you must use the large sea scallops and not the small bay ones. Just take a sharp knife and make a horizontal slit in the middle being very careful not to cut all the way through, you want your scallop butterflied, then put a small teaspoon of pesto inside. Salt and pepper your scallops then place them into a saute pan ( not a non stick) that’s been heated on medium heat with a little olive oil. Cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side being careful when your turning them over. That’s it!

I placed mine into a pool of warm roasted red pepper sauce, but you could also use a light marinara sauce just as well. The flavor combination is dynamic!

I served this as a main course with fresh green beans and summer corn but it would also be wonderful as an appetizer to start off your meal.

It’s simple, healthy, quick to make and the summery basil pesto takes it right over the top! Now pour a glsss of cold Sauvignon Blanc and you’re good to go!

15 Comments Filed Under: Sauces, Seafood Tagged: basil pesto, Pesto, scallops, sea scallops

Summer Eats to Beat the Heat

August 4, 2014 by Marie 9 Comments

This right here is heaven on a plate to me! Creamy, dreamy Burrata cheese, grilled artichokes, garden fresh tomatoes loaded with fresh basil, a little prosciutto and some grilled crusty bread. This is good eating!

When it’s hot outside this is what we like to eat. The artichokes are the only thing I cooked here, I make them all summer long, they’re so addicting. If you’re an artichoke fan like we are and you prefer a lighter summer version, then this one is for you.

They’re stuffed with romano cheese, parsley, garlic and lemon zest and then placed on the grill until the cheese melts and gets nice and crusty. My Grilled Artichokes is one of my most pinned recipes and it’s so simple to make! You can find it here.

Since we have a ton of tomatoes coming in daily from our garden almost every meal includes them, so that’s what this post is about, some of the ways I use them.

This was our dinner the other night, roasted peppers, grilled zucchini, asiago cheese, prosciutto, salami, castelvetrano olives and some totally crunchy frezzelle which is the perfect base for our juicy garden tomatoes. I added some apple slices and a glass of wine and we were happy campers!

My husband would take this over a steak any day, we love to eat like this, especially in the hot summer months.

Here’s a salad that’s a meal in itself, garden tomatoes, fresh basil, olives, onions, grilled zucchini and chunks of crispy bread doused with olive oil and grilled, sort of like a panzanella, although a true panzanella requires you to wet the bread, I prefer mine crispier.

The dressing is made with a simple olive oil and red wine vinegar but the magic happens when everything gets tossed together and all the flavors meld into one. The tomatoes can either make or break this dish so be sure to take advantage of all that summer offers.

No recipes today just visuals of some of my favorite summer eating!

9 Comments Filed Under: Appetizers, Party Foods, Salads, Summer Tagged: Burrata cheese, garden tomatoes, grilled artichokes, panzanella

Tomato Tart with Brown Rice Crust

July 29, 2014 by Marie 36 Comments

Nothing beats the taste of freshly picked, right off the vine garden tomatoes, the flavor, the texture, everything is so different, I’m sure going to miss them when there gone, but for now I’m going to enjoy them any which way I can!

Almost every meal I make, including breakfast, you’ll see a side of sliced tomatoes drizzled with good olive oil and sea salt sitting on my table, it’s a staple here in the summer.

But after hauling in these beauties the other day I decided I’d make a tomato tart for dinner!

I also remembered I had a big bag of leftover cooked brown rice sitting in my fridge, and since I hate to waste anything I thought, why not change it up a bit and make the rice be the crust for the tart instead of pastry dough. I’m excited to say we loved it, it was so good!

I used a deeper, fluted tart pan but you could also use a deep dish pie pan, I say deep because you want plenty of room for your rice crust, filling and topping of tomatoes. Notice the crust edge, it came out perfectly from the pan, it had a nice crunch and chewy texture to it.

It went ridiculously good with the savory, cheesy ricotta filling!

And oh, those tomatoes, what can I say? They were bursting with flavor and took the whole tart over the top!

Would you like me to cut you a wedge?

Tomato Tart with Brown Rice Crust

Ingredients

9 inch deep fluted tart pan with removable bottom or a deep dish pie pan
FOR CRUST
3 cups cooked brown rice
2 eggs
1 small onion diced and 1 garlic clove, sauteed
⅓ cup of grated romano cheese
¼ cup of loosely packed and shredded fontina or any other melting cheese
basil and parsley, fresh chopped, 2 tablespoons each
FILLING
3 cups ricotta cheese, drained
2 eggs
1 clove garlic, grated on a microplane
⅓ cup of grated romano cheese
½ cup of shredded fontina or any other melting cheese
basil and parsley, fresh chopped, 2 tablespoons each
TOPPING
vine ripened tomatoes, any kind, either quartered or cut in half depending on size, enough to cover the top of tart

Instructions

In a bowl, combine the rice, beaten eggs, sauteed garlic and onion, cheeses and herbs, mix well.
Pat rice mixture into an olive oil sprayed tart or pie pan.
Place filled tart pan on a baking sheet then into a 350 degree F. oven for 15 minutes.
Remove rice crust and let it cool down.
Turn up oven temp to 400 degrees.F.
Mix ricotta, cheeses, herbs, eggs and garlic for the filling then spread evenly onto the cooled rice crust.
Place your tomatoes all over,slightly sinking them into the ricotta mixture.
Drizzle olive oil on top of the tomatoes and tart then bake for 30 minutes or until ricotta is set.
To finish it, I like to place mine under the broiler to get it a nice golden color on top, but if you do that, keep checking and don't walk away from the stove!
Let it cool a little before slicing.
Garnish with chopped fresh basil.