Fresh Summer Tomato Risotto

August 8, 2022 by 5 Comments

fresh tomato risotto

When summer comes and tomatoes are ripe and juicy I look forward to making this fresh tomato risotto. It’s not heavy as you might think, it’s a summer version that’s actually refreshingly light.

You can eat it as is for dinner or lunch on a hot summer day or pair it with grilled meats, veggies or fish, either way you’ll love the delicate flavors of the sweet tomatoes along with garlic, onions, white wine and grated parmesan.

summer tomatoes

Make this while the tomatoes are at their peak at farmers markets, produce departments and especially your home gardens.

making risotto

The process is pretty much the same as making any risotto, sautéing the veg, adding the rice, stirring in the broth.

pot of simmering risotto

The sweet, fresh tomatoes get tossed right into the pot until everything absorbs and mingles together.

cooked tomato risotto

Toss in some freshly grated Parmigiano and a hunk of butter at the end.

plated risotto

Now shower it with fresh torn basil!

stuffed. risotto tomatoes

Now if you so happen to have any leftovers, grab a few  more summer tomatoes, hollow them out, add the pulp to the existing leftover risotto and stuff them into the tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil and bake until tender and soft!

Fresh Summer Tomato Risotto
 
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A summery version of risotto that features sweet fresh tomatoes.
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Ingredients
  • 1-1/2 cups of arborio rice
  • 3 cups of cubed, ripe summer tomatoes, not. cherry tomatoes
  • 1 medium onion, diced, red or yellow
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½. cup white wine
  • 1 box of low sodium broth, chicken or veggie
  • ½ cup grated Parmigiano or Pecorino cheese
  • butter
  • olive oil
  • basil
Instructions
  1. Simmer broth in a pot on top of the stove
  2. In a heavy bottom pan on medium heat add a knob of butter and drizzle with olive oil.
  3. Add the chopped onion, stirring til soft but not brown.
  4. Add in the garlic and rice, stirring til coated.
  5. Add the white wine and tomatoes, let it all absorb a little.
  6. Toss in the warm broth a ladle full at a time stirring with a wooden spoon until the liquid is absorbed, continue doing this until the rice is cooked but slightly al dente.
  7. You may have some broth leftover, the key is you want your risotto, loose and creamy but of course cooked.
  8. When finished turn off the heat, stir in the grated cheese along with a knob of butter, taste for salt and pepper.
  9. Sprinkle with fresh torn basil.
  10. Enjoy!

 

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5 Comments Filed Under: Rice and Risotto, Side Dishes, Summer, Vegetables Tagged: , , ,

Batter Fried Zucchini Fritters With Lemon Aioli Dipping Sauce

July 26, 2022 by 1 Comment

fried fritters

Zucchini season is upon us and here’s an easy way to whip up some delicious batter fried zucchini fritters. The key method here is using a batter instead of any breadcrumbs, the batter is highly seasoned and it takes seconds to mix up.

You won’t need to do any shredding of the zucchini either, something I never liked doing because the zucchini gets water logged and then you have to spend time squeezing all that liquid out and not to mention it’s such a messy job!

fried zucchini

Batter fried zucchini fritters will give you an end result of nice crispy edges with a soft and tender inside, perfection in the fritter department!

chopped zucchini

What you need to do is take your zucchini, cut it right down the center, then quarter each half then with a knife slice off the seed portion as shown above, you’re not going to get all of it off and that’s ok, you’ll get most of it. Then proceed to dice up the rest.

chopped zucchini in batter

After you whip up your batter you’ll just drop your chopped zucchini right inside and toss to get it well coated.

frying fritters

Then just scoop out and start frying!

fried fritters

And before you know it you’ll have a tray full of crispy and delicious fritters!

eggplant batter

Back in the day my mother in law would make this versatile batter to fry up her eggplant slices and zucchini this way. For the eggplant she would just do a quick swipe on each side into the batter, then into the frying pan, her old school method never fails!

fried eggplant

The picture above is a tray of eggplant slices made with her batter, so good you just want to eat them like that!

fried zucchini fritters

I hope you try this easy batter method for your zucchini fritters and whatever other veggie you want to try. My mother in law never had a specific recipe for this, she would always say you just want the end result to be the consistency of pancake batter, some what loose but not runny. I did however try to give you specific amounts in the recipe below, but make it your own.

Enjoy!

Batter Fried Zucchini Fritters With Lemon Aioli Dipping Sauce
 
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Zucchini fritters, quick and easy!
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Ingredients
  • 3 good sized, medium zucchini, sliced in half then each half into quarters, slice off most of the seed section then small dice the rest. ( refer to picture in blog post)
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 2- 3 heaping tablespoons of chopped parsley, you could do basil as well
  • ¾ to 1 cup of grated pecorino romano cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • sparkling water like Pellegrino
  • olive oil
  • LEMON AIOLI
  • 1 cup full fat mayo
  • fresh lemon juice, enough to thin out the mayo
  • 1 small garlic clove, grated
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, flour, cheese, parsley and sparkling water until you get a nice pancake like batter consistency, not too thick and not too loose. salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Toss in your chopped zucchini pieces and. coat well.
  3. Get your skillet nice and hot add olive oil to coat the bottom. ( I used a non stick pan.)
  4. Scoop the zucchini batter with a quarter cup measuring cup, then press down a little to make a patty shape.
  5. Fry til deep golden on each side and place on a wire rack not a paper towel, sprinkle lightly with salt while hot.
  6. For the lemon aioli just mix everything together in a bowl using enough lemon juice to thin out the mayo to a nice consistency.
  7. A great snack, appetizer, side dish, light lunch or dinner.
  8. You can also dip them in warm marinara sauce.
  9. I yielded 18 fritters with this amount.

 

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1 Comment Filed Under: Appetizers, Side Dishes, Summer, Vegetables Tagged: , , ,

Grilled Pork Tenderloin Stuffed With Olive Muffalata

July 11, 2022 by 12 Comments

Muffuletta stuffed tenderloin

Fire up your grill to make this gorgeous looking stuffed pork tenderloin, it’s tender and juicy and it’s becomes a beautiful presentation for a main course.

It’s actually filled with an olive relish that’s store bought which makes it come together super easy. An addition of a few extra ingredients that I added makes the flavor out of this world!

muffuletta mix

You should be able to find several brands of olive salad packed in oil at a regular grocery store, it’s pretty popular. The one I used was a muffalata style but I’ve seen them as a relish or an olive salad in a jar.

olive mix

This is the one I used.

stuffing tenderloins

Just remember to drain your oil based olive salad well before you begin layering.

Next up you’ll want to take your pork tenderloin and first remove the silver skin all around, it’s easy to do just take the tip of a sharp knife, lift up underneath and pull off, be careful not to grab the tender meat.

Once that’s done you’re going to open the pork tenderloin like a book slowly slicing from top to bottom to open it up.

Cover the open pork with plastic wrap, take a meat mallet and pound it flat evenly all around, then you can start the layering process.

I used a thin sliced, sharp provolone cheese as my first layer which goes very well with the olive mix. The cheese also helps anchor the olive mix when it’s all grilled together, but feel free to use your favorite cheese

tenderloin rolls

Then roll into a nice bundle and secure with kitchen twine, rub down with olive oil and now they’re ready for the grill!

grilled tenderloins

First sear the meat on both sides using direct grilling, once the searing is done use indirect grilling keeping the heat around 375F until internal temp reaches 140-145, then take it off. Anything past that it and the meat will start to dry out, and you don’t want that.

Start checking the temp after 20 to 25 minutes.

A delicious and pretty main course to serve with any side dish of your choice!

5.0 from 2 reviews
Grilled Pork Tenderloin Stuffed With Olive Muffalatta
 
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A super flavorful main course with a great presentation that gets some help with a store bought olive mix.
Author:
Ingredients
  • I used 2 pork tenderloins because that's how I buy them from Costco. Silver skin removed as per instructions in the post
  • 8 oz, of muffalata olive mix, drained
  • 6 whole sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, cut into small slices
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • a handful of chopped parsley
  • sliced, sharp provolone, enough to cover the bottom of your opened pork tenderloin
  • olive oil, salt and pepper
  • kitchen twine
Instructions
  1. Follow directions in the post for removing the silver skin, opening up the pork tenderloin like a book and pounding it flat.
  2. Drain the olive salad well into a mesh strainer, then place into a small bowl.
  3. Add the chopped sun dried tomatoes, garlic and parsley, mix together.
  4. Onto the flattened, open pork, season with a little salt and pepper.
  5. Layer your sliced provolone all around.
  6. Spread the olive mixture all over on top of the cheese.
  7. Roll up tight and secure with kitchen twine.
  8. Rub all sides with olive oil, now ready for the grill.
  9. Place rolls directly on heat to sear but sides with grill marks then turn down to indirect heat. to finish cooking, keeping it around 375 degrees.
  10. After 20- 25 minutes check temp with an instant read thermometer. Temp should be between 140 to 145 internal, anything after the meat will start to dry out and be overcooked.
  11. Let it rest a bit, remove the twine and cut into slices.

 

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12 Comments Filed Under: Grilled Foods, Meats Tagged: , ,