Open Faced Portobello Burger with Zucchini "Fries"

This burger is so good I promise when you bite into this you won’t miss the meat at all! Portobello mushrooms have such a meaty like texture, the large caps are a perfect replacement for a beef burger. I try to make a few vegetarian meals each week and this has been one of our current favorites.

I like to grill up a bunch of different vegetables over the weekend and then use them in various quick meals during the week. I almost always do onions, red and green peppers, zucchini, and eggplant, however with the portobello’s I like to cook them up right before I assemble this, which I did inside on my grill pan.

For this burger roasting or grilling the vegetables will give you the same results.
I like to remove the gills on the mushrooms but you don’t have to, then just a quick toss in olive oil, salt and pepper is all you have to do to prepare them.

Each component together gives you an amazing end result!

Toasted ciabatta bun
Grilled red pepper
The portobello, gill side up
A dollup of basil pesto
Fresh mozzarella
Grilled onion
Tomato
Garnish with a balsamic glaze over top

You could eat this with a bun top but it was so huge, I would suggest using a thinner bun.

The zucchini fries were made by tossing them in olive oil to coat then dipping them individually in a mixture of panko breadcrumbs and grated parmesan or romano cheese, salt and pepper.

Bake them in a hot oven around 450F turning them as they brown. If you have a convection roast feature use that to brown them up faster.

Have a great week and Buon Appetito!

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Sunday Morning

Potatoes and Eggs with Onions, We grew up on this stuff, my husband still craves it and once and a while I’ll make it for him. Great for a lazy Sunday morning or a lunch with a salad.

I guess you could call it a frittata, but we just call it potatoes and eggs. Four simple ingredients blended together make a wondrous combination!
Eggs
Thick sliced red onion
Pre-cooked red potatoes
Romano cheese

Saute your potatoes and onions in olive oil, add a very generous amount of romano cheese to your beaten eggs then pour over all and cook til set. Sprinkle with fresh flat leaf parsley.

Or you might want something like this! Toasted Italian bread, ( I love that smell) slathered with fresh basil pesto, now go ahead and add a thick slice of a nice juicy summer tomato and then top it with an egg.

Whatever you decide, it’s all good.

Happy Sunday morning!

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Rustic Fig and Ricotta Tart

Again I struck gold at Whole Foods, this time it was with fresh organic figs and even better than that was the price, only three dollars a pint!

Sometimes when I buy fresh figs even though they look and feel ripe, when I get them home they have no flavor at all, does that ever happen to you?

Not the case here, they were all you would ever want in a fig, perfectly ripe, plump and oh so sweet!

I’m dedicating this post to my friend Stacey because she is a true figaholic, if you don’t believe me go check out her blog she has a ton of fig recipes, sweet and savory, all good! If we lived closer I would have brought this over to her house to share.

I love making rustic tarts, nothing sophisticated about them, easy to make, very casual and homey. You can make your own pastry dough or use a good refrigerated one as I did, I’ve had it both ways and it’s equally as good.

For the Ricotta Filling:
1lb ricotta
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
Orange zest
Heaping tablespoon of orange marmalade
Pinch of cinnamon
Beat together on low speed until all incorporated

On a baking sheet place parchment paper, then place your dough round on top of that and prick the bottom with a fork.
Spread ricotta mixture all over except where you’re going to be folding the edges up. Then place figs on top.
Brush the top with a beaten egg or milk, bake at 375F until golden brown, check the bottom with a spatula to make sure it has a nice brown color.


While still warm you can glaze the top with a warmed up preserve if you like.


I had a few figs left over so I decided to make myself a little afternoon treat, this time I decided to caramelize my figs by dipping them cut side down on a plate sprinkled with brown sugar and cinnamon then placing them down on a grill pan for just a few minutes until caramelized. Place them in a pretty bowl on top of some fat free greek yogurt add a drizzle of honey and crunchy pistachios! It was sinfully good, hope you give it a try!

Buon Appetito

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