Proud Italian Cook

Summer Veggie Slaw

July 23, 2012 by Marie 51 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!

The perfect summer meal on a very hot day!

Cedar Planked Grilled Portobellos Stuffed with Summer Veggies

July 16, 2012 by Marie 25 Comments

I normally use grilling planks for salmon or scallops but this time I thought I would try using vegetables, in particular big “meaty” portobellos!

Make sure you buy natural untreated wood that is free of chemicals, strictly sold for cooking, You wouldn’t want to use just any old type of wood from a hardware store, it could be very toxic!

There are various cooking woods on the market, some of my favorites as well as the cedar are maple, cherry, alder, apple and mesquite just to name a few.

Just make sure you soak them submerged and weighted down in water for at least 2 hours before placing them on your grill, otherwise they will just burn up and you don’t want that.

While your wood is soaking you can be grilling up your veggies. I used yellow squash, zucchini, corn, and red, yellow and orange peppers. They were tossed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper then placed on the grill.

For the mushrooms, the gills and stems were removed, this will give you a nice flat surface for stuffing.

Brush your mushrooms on the bottom with olive oil and only place them on the grill for 2 to 3 minutes just to get grill marks, caps up. Remove and let them cool completely. If moisture appears just pat with a paper towel.
Remember, only grill them for a couple of minutes, they will continue to cook on the plank.

I filled my caps with shredded asiago cheese but you could use just about any cheese you want. Now it’s time to layer your veggies making sure you can see all the different colors. Sprinkle a tiny bit of cheese on top then stick them on the plank!

Try to keep your grill temperature around 350, as their cooking you’ll hear the wood cracking a bit and the sweet smell of the cedar will fill the air.

The cheese will melt underneath and the veggies will become a little more golden, mine took a good 15 minutes.

Garnish with fresh grilled corn, basil and a drizzle of olive oil.

The portobellos were infused with a delicate smoky flavor that was so delicious and enhanced all the vegetables.

Trust me, you will love this!

25 Comments Filed Under: Summer, Vegetables Tagged: cedar planking, cooking wood, grill planks, grilled portobellos, grilled vegetables, stuffed portobellos, summer grilling

Pasta Pizza

July 9, 2012 by Marie 27 Comments

Last week when it was unbearably hot I threw this dinner together in minutes.

After looking into my fridge for something to make I remembered I had this small container of leftover angel hair pasta with veggies that I had made a couple of days before.

Instead of just reheating in my microwave I turned it into a “pizza”!
My leftover veggie pasta was made with, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, peas, artichoke hearts and cherry tomatoes, all were roasted beforehand and then tossed into hot angel hair pasta adding olive oil, fresh basil and grated romano cheese.

To create the “pizza” I just added 2 beaten eggs and more grated romano cheese right into the leftover container, mixed it together, then poured the pasta mixture into a hot skillet that was drizzled with olive oil.
When it turns golden on the bottom, place a plate on top of the pan and flip the “pizza” over to the other side and let it cook until golden and set, then slip it out on to your serving plate.
Garnish with more basil and grated romano.