Proud Italian Cook

Eggplant, Tomato and Feta Summer Side Dish

August 22, 2019 by Marie 2 Comments

We’re still in the dog days of summer with an abundance of garden produce still available You just can’t beat the flavor of garden ripe tomatoes, there’s nothing like it, and I will dream about that taste when summer ends.

But for now, if you need to use up some of those sweet cherry tomatoes you might have, this is the perfect side dish to make.

It’s a delicious combination of eggplant with tomatoes and feta cheese.

You honestly don’t need a recipe for this because you’ll never go wrong with the ingredients and amounts. All you have to do is roast some cherry tomatoes with a good amount of olive oil and shaved garlic, salt and pepper. It doesn’t matter how many tomatoes you use, just fill up a sheet pan like I did.

Place them into the oven at 400 degrees until they start to blister and their flavorful juices mingle with the olive oil.

Same thing goes for the eggplant, I like to peel the skin of my eggplant into stripes, some on, some off. Then cut your eggplant into bite size pieces, 2 or 3 eggplant or however many you have, place on a sheet pan, douse with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roast at 425 degrees until the moisture is gone and you start to see lightly golden edges.

Now basically it’s all about combining everything. In a bowl add the blistered cherry tomatoes and every bit of that luscious garlicky juice, toss in the roasted eggplant, and crumble in the best quality Greek feta you can find.

Combine gently and arrange it all on a pretty platter garnished with chopped parsley, now watch it disappear!

I can’t tell you how good this is, you’re just going to have to make this amazing summer side dish, but hurry!

Follow Proud Italian Cook on Instagram to see what else I’m cooking up during the week.

2 Comments Filed Under: Side Dishes, Vegetables Tagged: eggplant, feta cheese, roasted tomatoesoes

Italian Meatballs with Ricotta (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

August 14, 2019 by Marie 10 Comments

There’s nothing like the smell of homemade meatballs cooking in the kitchen, and these tender beef meatballs enhanced with ricotta, pecorino and other classic ingredients are no exception.

Yes, there are many different ways to make classic and traditional Italian meatballs, every family has their own cherished recipes. In my family I make them a few different ways, traditionally with soaked bread and breadcrumbs, a mix of pork and beef, fried, baked, I could go on and on but recently this has become my current favorite and neither bread nor breadcrumbs are added into the mix.

Ricotta laced meatballs are so tender and flavorful, the taste is incredible and I promise you you’re not going to miss the addition of bread, so because of that ricotta meatballs are perfect for those on a low carb and gluten free diet.

I like using organic ground beef which is 85% lean and 15% fat. I also prefer to pan fry them in a little olive oil after they’re formed. Pan frying allows them to become caramelized all over and form a crust which is a very important step that adds to the intense flavor, and there’s no need to cook them all the way through.

The meatballs will be finished off in the oven along with a good quality marinara for them to bathe in, preferably homemade.

You’re always going to treasure your own tried and true family recipes that have been handed down through the generations but it’s also fun to discover new favorites along the way, I hope you give these a try, they’re truly amazing!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Italian Meatballs with Ricotta (Low Carb, GF)

Author: Marie

Ingredients

1.5 lbs. organic ground beef, 85% lean 15% fat
1 egg
½ onion, finely chopped
2 very generous heaping tablespoons ricotta, look for a good quality supermarket ricotta, not the over the counter deli type which holds a lot of moisture.
2 garlic cloves, smashed or grated on a microplane
1 large handful of grated pecorino romano and 1 large handful of Italian parsley chopped
salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
1 good quality jar of marinara, preferably homemade
basil for garnish

Instructions

In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together well. Before you form mixture into balls, fry off a little bit of the meatball mix, this way you can really check for the right seasoning. Sometimes you need more grated cheese, pepper, salt, parsley and this way you'll be able to adjust to your liking.
Drizzle olive oil in a nonstick skillet and when oil is hot drop your formed meatballs into the pan and caramelize on all sides, no need to worry about cooking it all through, just make sure to get a nice crust all around.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Spoon some marinara into the bottom of a casserole dish, add the meatballs, then spoon some sauce on top of each one as well.
Bake uncovered for 15 minutes.
Garnish with fresh basil leaves.
Enjoy!

10 Comments Filed Under: Meats Tagged: gluten free, Italian meat balls, lowcarb, meatballs, ricotta meatballs

Zucchini Flowers Stuffed with Herby Ricotta and Cheese

July 30, 2019 by Marie 9 Comments

Stuffed zucchini flowers, my favorite summertime treat, whenever I spot them on a menu they get ordered, but It’s been a while since I’ve actually made them myself.

Living in the midwest they’re not the easiest thing to find unless you grow your own, and then if you’re lucky enough to find some, which is not very often, they bring out such a small amount that if you’re not right there in front of them, they’re gone in an instant!

They’re such a delicacy and everyone who appreciates them grabs them up really fast.

I lucked out this time by nicely stalking my produce guy, finding out the exact day and time they would arrive and making sure I got there right before they were put out on display. Again it was such a small quantity that they had but I was able to go home with four nice bundles, so I was a happy girl!

There are so many ways you can eat them, in frittatas, quesadilla’s, pizza’s and pasta’s but my favorite way is stuffing the insides with ricotta, herbs, Parmigiano Reggiano and lemon zest and then frying them up until nicely golden with a very light and crispy batter.

They make the best summertime appetizers especially with a cold glass of Prosecco!

Preparing them is a little labor of love, they’re delicate and fragile and you have to handle them with care in the cleaning process. Usually they’ll have some dirt on them so you’ll want to remove that and check inside to make sure there’s no insect hiding as well, then rinse them really good. In the center of the blossom is a pistil, you’ll want to pinch it out with your two fingers and remove it as well, it’s hard and not so pleasant to eat, then let them dry on paper towels.

You can keep them wrapped up gently in paper towels if not using right away and keep them refrigerated for just a couple of days, so buy according to how much you’re going to be using.

Then as far as the stuffing process goes I like placing my ricotta mixture into a pastry bag, it’s a much cleaner and neater way to fill them rather than using a spoon, and it goes really fast.

I like leaving some of the stem on to use as a handle for ease in frying and for eating.

The batter couldn’t be easier to make, just two ingredients, sparkling water and flour, I’m partial to San Pellegrino but any plain sparkling water will do.

Just whisk the two together until you get a loose yogurt consistency, not too thick and not too thin.

The result is a light and crispy tempura like coating, so airy that it doesn’t overpower the zucchini flower at all, it just enhances it as well as the ricotta stuffing.

It has just the right crunch factor!

Crunchy, creamy, dreamy! Hands down my favorite summertime treat especially when it’s swiped into some warm marinara.

Go seek some out before they’re gone and gobble these up!

You can follow Proud Italian Cook on Instagram to see what I’m cooking up during the week.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Zucchini Flowers Stuffed with Herby Ricotta and Cheese

Depending on how many zucchini flowers you have just mix up more or less ricotta mixture, also some bulbs are bigger than others so I will just give you a step by step procedure instead of exact measurements.

Author: Marie

Ingredients

Zucchini flowers, leave about 2 inches of stem on, cleaned of dirt and inner pistil
FILLING
ricotta, ( remove moisture)
grated Parmigiano Reggiano (or pecorino)
granulated garlic
chopped basil and parsley
lemon zest
salt and pepper
1 disposable pastry bag
BATTER
seltzer water
all purpose flour
oil for pan frying
Optional, marinara for dipping

Instructions

Make sure the cleaning prep is done on the zucchini flowers with all the pistils removed inside.
Mix up your stuffing mixture in a bowl and this is all done to taste, start with a cup of ricotta and add in maybe ¼ cup of cheese, a couple of tablespoons of herbs, zest of ½ lemon and everything else, adjust to your liking.
Place a disposable pastry bag into a tall glass, fold down sides and fill it with the ricotta mixture, the glass will hold the bag and give you stability as you spoon the filling in.
Cut the tip of the bag off and proceed to fill the cavity of the flowers.
When they're all filled up mix up your batter.
Grab a shallow bowl add a few generous tablespoons of flour and start adding the seltzer water , consistency should be loose yogurt.
Heat your oil in a fry pan, just enough to cover bottom, then swipe your stuffed flower into the batter on both sides and fry until golden on both sides.
NOTE: If you need more ricotta mixture make it, if you need more batter, mix up a little more, depending on how many flowers you have and the size of them.
Place on paper towels to drain. and serve immediately.
Warm up some marinara for swiping!