Proud Italian Cook

Summer’s Last Hurrah With Fresh Figs

September 3, 2020 by Marie 1 Comment

Fresh figs are in peak season right now and if you’re a fig lover it’s time to take advantage of them as summer winds down. I’m sharing my two favorite ways to showcase them in a non-cook way with no recipe needed!

Find yourself any variety of fresh figs that are available in your area, I used black mission here for this delicious salad of figs, prosciutto and burrata.

Grab a pretty platter and arrange prosciutto slices all around, next take a couple of balls of burrata cheese, gently break it open and dot it all around.

Place sliced figs, longwise on top of the prosciutto and burrata, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze and top with sliced almonds and fresh basil leaves.

A little salt and pepper and that’s it!

I promise you that you and your guests will enjoy every last bite!

For a fun and very easy appetizer you must make this version of stuffed figs with goat cheese and ribbons of prosciutto. It’s finished off with a sweet honey drizzle and topped with a walnut piece. It’s a dreamy one bite delight!

Cut the figs cross-wise from the top, halfway down the fruit and gently open it up like a blossom. Place some softened goat cheese right into the center, I used a honey goat cheese but you can also use gorgonzola and even ricotta works well, then tuck a piece of torn prosciutto right on top.

Place them onto a platter with some scattered leaves of arugula, top each fig blossom with a walnut piece or any nut of your choice then give a good drizzle of honey all over each fig, oh my this is so good!

Figs are said to be the nectar of the gods, I believe they are, enjoy them while they’re still here!

1 Comment Filed Under: Appetizers, Salads Tagged: fig, fig and prosciutto, goat cheese

Summer Tomato Salad With Whipped Ricotta

August 23, 2020 by Marie 6 Comments

It’s late August and summer tomatoes are in major abundance, all vine ripened and at the height of their flavor. Tomato salads have been a consent in my house, I’m either buying them or having them dropped off at my house by family or friends who have gardens of their own and their crop is overflowing. Believe me I’m not complaining, fall will be here before we know it!

There’s some salads that just stick out in your mind, I’ll be dreaming about this one in the dead of winter. What’s so special about this salad besides the vine ripened juicy heirlooms gracing the top, is that the base of this salad is a layer of whipped ricotta which has a hint of lemon zest and herbs folded into it.

On top of the whipped ricotta there’s a salad layer of lemony arugula. One thing is certain, you must have crusty bread when you eat this! I’m telling you it’s a meal in itself!

You want to look for a dryer type ricotta, not one that has a lot of moisture, if that’s the only kind you can find then I would drain it for a couple of hours in a strainer.

Less than a minute in a food processor and the ricotta takes on a beautiful smooth consistency with a touch of olive oil drizzled in.

Parsley, basil and lemon zest was folded in for additional flavor.

Slice up some colorful heirlooms and mix them in with other varieties and use the best extra virgin olive oil you have.

I added some sliced red onion and olives to round it all out, it’s outrageous! Put this on a big platter and watch it disappear .

I hope you make this, but don’t forget the crusty bread please!

If you find yourself with an abundance of zucchini, here’s another use for whipped ricotta, I did a post on this a while ago, zucchini ribbon salad with whipped ricotta.

Summer Tomato Salad With Whipped Ricotta

Author: Marie

Ingredients

A variety of summer heirloom tomatoes, sliced. Enough to cover the ricotta. A variety of colors makes a nice presentation
2 cups ricotta, on the dryer side, if too wet drain it for a couple of hours
Good olive oil for drizzling and to add to the ricotta
the juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 cups arugula, roughly
sliced red onion
olives for plating
parsley and basil a heaping tablespoon each, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
a loaf of crusty bread

Instructions

FOR THE WHIPPED RICOTTA
Place ricotta into the bowl of a food processor and add in 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of olive oil, process for 30 seconds, or until smooth.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Scoop out into a bowl and fold in the zest and chopped herbs.
Toss the arugula with lemon juice and olive oil.
Spread whipped ricotta mixture onto a platter, drizzle top with olive oil, then topped with arugula salad, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions.
Sprinkle the tomatoes with salt, then a good drizzle of olive oil all over, place olives all around.
Place slices of crusty bread all around the platter.

6 Comments Filed Under: Salads, Summer Tagged: heirloom tomatoes, summer tomatoes, whipped ricotta

White Pizza, Four Cheese With Summer Corn

August 7, 2020 by Marie 1 Comment

Nothing screams summer more than fresh corn on the cob and beautiful summer garden tomatoes. I love a good white pizza, meaning no red sauce on top, it’s actually my favorite type of all, but I must confess in my years of making pizza I have never had or made a corn version, until now!

Yes, I have seen many photos of blogger friends ( Stacey Snacks) sitting in restaurants eating gorgeous summer pizzas showcasing fresh corn which I was very envious of because it’s not something I see here in the midwest at all.

Recently a family member dropped off some fresh corn from Wisconsin so I thought this would be a perfect time to make a white version of a corn pizza, and I’m so happy I did, and to say we loved it is an understatement!

I also made an heirloom tomato salad to go along with it and it turned out to one one of our favorite summertime meals that I will repeat again and again!

At first glance this pizza may not look so fancy but don’t let that fool you, this pizza has so much flavor and texture. Nice crunchy dough topped with a combination of four cheeses, mozzarella, fontina, dreamy burrata and Parmesan, melted together it’s the perfect union!

The burrata cheese is scrumptious as it is, but when mingled with the corn it’s outstanding, but remember always use fresh shucked corn, never ever frozen.

I’ll look forward to making this pizza every summer, it’s now a top favorite and before this summer ends I’ll be making it again and again while corn is still at it’s peak.

If you’ve never had a corn pizza stop what you’re doing and make this now!

4.0 from 1 reviews

White Pizza, Four Cheese With Summer Corn

Recipe adapted from The Original Dish

Author: Marie

Ingredients

16 " round pizza pan
cornmeal for dusting pan along with olive oil
1 pound ball of pizza dough, homemade or good quality store bought
3 ears of fresh shucked corn, uncooked
4 oz. shredded fontina cheese
2 balls (not large) of burrata cheese
¾ lb. of shredded mozzarella
a generous handful of grated parmesan, enough to spread all over the pizza
olive oil
salt and pepper
fresh basil leaves
red pepper flakes optional for garnish

Instructions

Note: First and foremost it's important to get your dough to room temperature so it's easy to stretch out into the pan.
Coat the bottom of your pizza pan with olive oil and a dusting of cornmeal, it keeps the bottom nice and crunchy.
Stretch your dough onto the pan and place it into a hot prepared oven at 480 degrees for only 5 minutes, then remove it.
If it bubbles up when you take it out pierce it a few times with a fork.
Now add and spread all around your fontina and mozzarella cheese, then sprinkle your grated parmesan generously all over.
Open up your burrata cheese and place dots of it all over the surface.
Sprinkle the fresh, uncooked corn kernels all over the top, evenly spreading them all over the pizza surface.
Season with salt and pepper and a drizzle with olive oil.
Bake at 480 for around 15 minutes or until bottom of crust is deep golden and cheese is all melty.
Garnish with fresh basil all around and optional red pepper flakes.
Enjoy!