Proud Italian Cook

Has It really been five years?

August 14, 2012 by Marie 302 Comments

It’s hard to believe that this is my fifth year of blogging! It seems like only yesterday that I walked out into my garden with my Kodak point and shoot camera and took a picture of my basil plants and came in and wrote my first blog post.
Sometimes I cringe at my old food photos that I took with my flash on, (an absolute no no in food photography) but I will always keep them there because it was all a part of my blogging journey.
And what a journey it has been! They say time flies when you’re having fun, and I can honestly say that that statement is so true. I’m still having fun, I never get bored blogging and I’m not ready to give it up, in fact, I’m gearing up for new and exciting things to happen with Proud Italian Cook in the future.

I could not celebrate this blogiversary with out expressing how extremely grateful I am to all my readers who faithfully stuck with me, your comments always a source of encouragement. A big thank you to those who take the time to write me personal emails, my subscribers who send me kind words so often. To those who “like “me on Facebook, thank you. To all those who have “pinned” my recipes and photos on Pinterest, a gigantic thank you, I can’t believe how my traffic has increased because of it!
To my family and friends who put up with all my craziness, waiting patiently as I take photos at home and in restaurants, and thinks it’s weird if I don’t, and to my husband Tony, my number one fan who encourages me everyday and eats anything I put in front of him!

And lastly, to all my dear friends in this blogging community that we are all a part of, you know who you are, you’re friendship has been the best part of my food blogging journey, thanks to all of you!

Summer Bounty Zucchini Tart

August 11, 2012 by Marie 23 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!

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

Eggplant Patties and Hot Weather Desserts

August 5, 2012 by Marie 38 Comments

The extreme heat we’ve been having here has called for lighter meals, lots of veggies, salads, and fruit desserts.
So if you’ve gathered up a few eggplant from your garden or farmers market and are still thinking about what to do with them, consider making these eggplant patties.
You can eat them like a burger with a bun or without, either way they’re chock full of flavor in every bite!

They couldn’t be easier to make all you have to do is dice up 2 or 3 eggplants and place them on a baking sheet along with 2 minced garlic cloves, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in a 425 degree oven until soft with a little color, then let it cool down.
Place in a bowl the cooled down eggplant, grated romano cheese, 1/2 diced red pepper, 1/2 diced onion, 1/2 cup of fresh or defrosted frozen corn, fresh basil, parsley, 2 eggs and a handful of breadcrumbs. My advice is to taste the mixture before adding the eggs so you can adjust all ingredients to your desired tastes, I never measure romano, I just sprinkle it in by the handfuls.

Stir everything together, form patties and place on a silpat or parchment and drizzle the top with olive oil, bake at 425 until golden, turning over once.

These are so good you’ll want to make them again and again!

As far as desserts go, we have been obsessed with this grape salad, we had it at a party and it was a big hit, people go crazy for it, it disappears before your eyes! It’s so refreshing and cold, perfect for a hot summer day.
The most time consuming thing about making this is picking the grapes off the vines.

Use a mixture of green and red seedless grapes, make sure they’re really cold, I had a bag of each. In a bowl add 1 heaping cup of full fat Greek yogurt, squirt some honey in to it and sweeten it up. Now add 1 heaping 1/4 cup of softened cream cheese with a teaspoon of vanilla and stir everything together and then fold in your cold grapes. You can make this the night before but when you’re ready to serve add a sprinkling of brown sugar and toasted walnuts for garnish.
Please make this for your next party, you’re guests will love it!

Melons, I could seriously eat everyday, so refreshing! Try making
cantaloupe ribbons they look so pretty on a platter with dollops of honey yogurt, blueberries, blackberries, sprigs of fresh mint and garnished with crunchy Marcona almonds.Cut a melon in half, scoop out the seeds, cut into wedges, trim off the rind then slice each wedge with a mandoline into ribbons. Do not use an overly ripe melon, the ribbons will be too watery, a little firmer is better.
Enjoy the last days of summer, before you know it we’ll be making big pots of hot soup!