Proud Italian Cook

Baby Eggplant with Italian Style Salsa

October 18, 2019 by Marie 4 Comments

Beautiful baby eggplant, have you tried them? These beauties are small and petite but yet their flesh is rich, creamy and mildly sweet.

Here I’ve roasted and then paired them with what I call an Italian style salsa, similar to a gremolata. A zesty garlic and herb topping that permeates through the hearty flesh along with the buttery texture of pine nuts, it’s the perfect union.

Imagine a platter of these set out on a buffet table, a delicious centerpiece with individual servings. They can be the perfect starter or the ideal side dish to a main course of your favorite protein or pasta, an a nice vegetarian option as well.

Baby eggplant look like little jewels, they’re tiny in size usually 2 to 3 inches long, some are stout and round and some more of a tear drop shape, and the nice thing is you can find them year round.

When you get them home just give them a good rinse and wipe them dry then all you do is slice them lengthwise, easy prep!

You can roast or grill them, I opted for roasting since it’s not grilling weather here right now. They cook up really fast and can be roasted earlier in the day, just give them a little warm up before serving, either in a low temp oven or microwave. For ultimate flavor I recommend serving them slightly warm but definitely not hot.

Just scrape out the flesh with the topping and leave the skin on your plate, sort of like eating an artichoke. These will go fast so make enough!

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Baby Eggplant with Italian Style Salsa

No exact recipe but rather the method in which you make this, because it al depends how many eggplants you'll be using and how much sauce you'll need, which you can easily make more of if need be.

Author: Marie

Ingredients

baby eggplant, rinsed and dried then cut in half lengthwise.
FOR THE ITALIAN SALSA
good olive oil
handful of parsley and basil, hand chopped
1 shallot, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced small
a pinch of red pepper flakes
a handful of imported pine nuts from Italy
salt and pepper to taste
lemon zest (optional)

Instructions

Make the Italian salsa first so it can sit and the flavors can meld together. Mix everything into a bowl and add enough olive oil so that the mixture is loose.
Toss your cut eggplant into a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, tossing until coated.
A quick drizzle of olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet place the eggplant cut side down in a 425 degree oven.
They cook really fast, could only be about 15 or 20 minutes tops.
Check with a spatula to make sure not too brown and overcooked.
Pull them out of the oven and turn them over to skin side down and let them cool off.
Arrange on a platter and spoon the Italian salsa on each one, having extra for more spooning, the more the better!

4 Comments Filed Under: Appetizers, Side Dishes Tagged: baby eggplant, eggplant, gremolata, Italian salsa

White Bean Crostini with Frizzled Sage

October 9, 2019 by Marie 4 Comments

Fall has arrived, the temperatures are cooler and holiday entertaining is around the corner. Sometimes you need a little something for lunch or dinner or a nice hearty appetizer to serve your guests, these white bean crostini with frizzled sage will fit the bill!

Crunchy and warm crostini spread with smashed cannellini beans that have been infused with lots of flavor and topped off with a crispy sage leaf.

It’s warm and comforting, quick and easy to make and looks very impressive.

You need to frizzle your sage in olive oil, just getting it to the point where it starts to crisp up and doesn’t turn dark brown. The sage infused oil is then the base for starting your beans.

Half of the beans will be smashed and the other half left whole. Canned beans are used in this recipe but you certainly can cook up your own pot of beans if you so desire but remember this is a fuss free recipe, one that you can whip up in no time.

So my advice would be to stock up your pantry with some canned cannellini beans so you’re ready when you need a spur of the moment topping for crostini.

Crispy charred bread that I toasted under the broiler are the perfect crunchy base for these creamy beans, which taste at their peek when warm, then each crostini is crowned with a frizzled sage leaf.

This is the time to take out your best quality olive oil and give each one a good drizzle to finish them off. How is it that something so simple can taste so good?

You can eat them on their own with your favorite beverage, or place them onto a charcuterie platter with some other goodies.

Deliciously simple, you’ll be a hit and they’ll all be devoured!

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5.0 from 1 reviews

White Bean Crostini with Frizzled Sage

Author: Marie

Ingredients

2 cans of cannellini beans, drained
2 cloves of garlic, smashed into a paste
⅓ cup of onion finely minced
a pinch or so of red pepper flakes according to your liking
salt and pepper to taste
every day olive oil
a good quality olive oil for finishing
horizontally sliced baguette, drizzled with olive oil and put under the broiler to get toasted on each side, it goes fast so keep checking and don't walk away
enough fresh sage leaves to top each crostini and garnish the pot of beans

Instructions

Toast your bread first as stated above and set aside.
Depending on how many crostini your're making, first fry up a bunch of fresh sage in your everyday olive oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
You want the sage to be frizzled and not dark golden brown, set aside on paper towels.
In same pan add the garlic and onion and saute until soft.
Add in the drained beans, season with red pepper, salt and pepper.
Cook beans on medium low, turning constantly until all the flavors meld together.
Gently smash half on the beans right in the pan and leave the rest whole.
Toss in some whole sage leaves for garnish right in the pan.
Drizzle with good quality olive oil and taste for seasoning, it should be heavily seasoned.
Spread warm beans onto toasted bread, garnish with one sage leaf, and give it a good drizzle with the quality olive oil.
Enjoy!

4 Comments Filed Under: Appetizers, Beans, Fall Tagged: cannellini beans, crostini, fall food, fried sage, white beans

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup with Asiago Cheese Bread

October 4, 2019 by Marie 5 Comments

When the weather turns with cooler temps the first thing I always want to make is a big pot of soup. This cream of wild mushroom soup is surprisingly easy to make, it’s comforting and cozy and has a rich complex flavor.

It’s made with a mix of wild and cremini mushrooms, some of which I purchased at an Asian market. By the way did you know that specialty mushrooms bought at an Asian market are a fraction of the cost that you would pay in a regular supermarket? So when I go I usually buy a bunch.

For this soup I combined cremini with oyster, king oyster, shiitake and brown beech. Using a mix of some of the wild varieties results in an earthy depth of flavor that would rival any gourmet soup, but honestly if you can’t find them just go with cremini as opposed to the white button mushrooms you see everywhere.

Fresh thyme, shallots and garlic are the base for this soup with added broth for the mushrooms to soak up the flavors while they’re simmering in the pot.

This soup is rich and elegant and can be served as a first course, a fantastic lunch or light dinner served with my cheesy Asiago toast.

There’s just a small amount of heavy cream swirled in at the end of cooking, it’s optional but I would highly recommend using it because it makes the soup exceptional!

For a nice presentation roast off some of the mushrooms and set aside to use for garnishing the top.

This creamy wild mushroom soup can be a go to week night meal or fancy enough to serve during the upcoming holidays, and it only takes around a half hour to pull it together. It stays well in the fridge so it can be made a day or two ahead of time, then just heat it up and garnish!

If you need a little crunch factor on the side,

Spilt a baguette in half, drizzle with olive oil and place into a 400 degree oven just until it starts to get golden, then pull it out and spread shredded Asiago cheese all over with fresh chopped parsley or other herbs of your choice, then place under a broiler until it all melts.

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5.0 from 1 reviews

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup with Asiago cheese Bread

Author: Marie

Ingredients

1½ to 2 lbs. mushrooms, a mix of wild along with cremini ( if unable to find wild mushrooms you can use all cremini) chopped.
additional mushrooms set aside for garnish that have been pre-roasted
2 large shallots, diced
2 cloves of garlic, grated on a microplane
broth, chicken or veggie, enough to cover the top of the sautéed mushrooms ( I used a little over a quart)
olive oil
butter
parsley and thyme
¼ cup heavy cream ( optional but highly recommended!)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a stock pot add a knob of butter and a drizzle of olive oil to the bottom of the pan.
Add in the chopped shallots and garlic. Cook until they soften a bit.
Add the chopped mushrooms, salt, pepper and fresh thyme.
Cook mushroom mix until they soften up and all the flavors meld, around 15 minutes.
Next, pour in enough broth to cover the top of the mushrooms.
Bring to a slow boil then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for around 20-30 minutes.
Use an immersion blender to whiz it up right in the pot to reach the texture you like, it will thicken up as you're doing this.
Swirl in the cream, tasting and adjusting for seasoning, adding more thyme, salt and pepper if needed.
Ladle into bowls and garnish with the roasted reserved mushrooms, chopped parsley and thyme.
Enjoy!