Squash & Ricotta Bruschetta

By: The Food Hunter

This year, for something different, we planted yellow squash instead of zucchini in our garden. If you've ever grown either variety, I'm sure you know what it's like to have an abundance of zucchini and the trials of what to do with them.

One of my favorite ways to serve squash is with some ricotta cheese, as a bruschetta topping. For added flavor I will often saute them in either homemade basil or mint oil.

 Squash & Ricotta Bruschetta

Green or yellow zucchini
ricotta cheese
basil/mint oil (see below)
Italian bread, grilled

Pour basil/mint oil in the bottom of a large pan over medium heat. Once oil is heated through ad squash and saute until tender.  Remove from heat

Spread bread with a thin layer of ricotta cheese and top with a generous helping of sauteed zucchini.

Basil/Mint Oil

Heat olive oil in a saute pan. Add chopped fresh basil or mint and allow oil to come to a boil. Once it starts to boil remove pan from the heat and allow it to cool before using.

Italian Potato, Meat & Cheese Pie

By: The Food Hunter

I'm not a fan of traditional mashed potatoes, but I love the Neapolitan dish made of mashed potatoes mixed with grated cheese and cured meats. This Italian Potato Pie, often referred to as gatto di patate, is made in a spring-form pan that is coated with bread crumb and served in pie wedges. It's a hearty dish that can be eaten alone or paired with a salad for a more balanced meal.

Follow this easy-to-make recipe loosely; substituting your favorite meats and cheeses. And don't hesitate to use leftover mashed potatoes instead of making them fresh.

Italian Potato, Meat & Cheese Pie
 
2 lbs starchy potatoes, boiled & drained
2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1 1/4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup fresh mozzarella, diced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup sharp provolone cheese, shredded or diced
1/4 cup prosciutto, diced
1/4 cup salami, diced
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
salt and pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Butter a 9-inch spring-form pan and coat it with 1/4 cup bread crumbs, tapping to discard the excess.

Add the boiled potatoes, butter and the milk to the bowl of a stand mixer. Mash until almost smooth. Add more milk and/or butter as needed to get your desired mashed potato consistency. Add the various meats and cheese and the parsley. Mix on low to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Stir in the beaten eggs. Pour the mixture into a prepared spring-form pan.

Bake for about 50 minutes, until lightly browned and set in the center. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before removing from the pan. Serve warm cut into pie wedges. 

White Fish With Braised Artichokes & Peas

By: The Food Hunter

Recently I've been trying to incorporate more fish recipes into my meal plans. Finding recipes that are a step above the basic baked, broiled or fried fish is sometimes a challenge. A few weeks ago I discovered a tasty dish by Jamie Oliver that I recreated below.

The recipe combines your favorite white, flaky fish with braised artichokes & peas. It is relatively easy to make and perfect to win-over finicky dinner guests. I say you can't ever go wrong when you start with a base of shallots and bacon.

White Fish With Braised Artichokes & Peas
 (recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver)

2 small shallots, (keep whole)
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
6-8 frozen artichoke hearts
1/4 lb bacon
splash red wine vinegar
1/2 cup organic bone broth
1cup frozen peas
2 (4oz) white fish fillets, (I used haddock)
extra virgin olive oil

Heat olive oil in a shallow pan. Add shallots and thyme sprigs and cook very gently, covered, for 10 minutes, or until soft but not colored.

Boil frozen artichoke hearts according to package, drain and set aside.

Slice the bacon into small strips. Add the artichokes and bacon to the pan and sweat gently for 5 minutes, until the fat runs from the bacon. Add a splash of red wine vinegar and the bone broth. Cook about 10 minutes.

Add peas; there should still be liquid in the bottom of the pan, if not you can add a splash of water. Cook for 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat and set aside, covered, while you cook the fish.

Heat a little olive oil in a non-stick pan. Season the fish fillets and cook over a medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 1 to 3 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet, until just cooked through.

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the vegetables and serve with fish. 

My First Homemade Apple Pie

By: The Food Hunter

People are surprised when I mention that until recently I have never made an apple pie. Though I come from a family of bakers, pie was not something we routinely had at our house. It was reserved for holidays and then it was primarily pumpkin pie. So when I saw a basket of beautiful apples at the farmer's market I decided it was time to rectify this. 

Like most pies, apple pie is a fairly simple mix of sliced apples and a few spices. Achieving a perfect crust is the difficult part. Although, I liked this crust a lot, next time I may try it with 1/2 Crisco & 1/2 butter...just to see the difference in taste and texture.

My First Apple Pie

5 to 6  tart green apples, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 pie crust (recipe below)

Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat the oven to 425° F.

Prepare the pie dough. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out half of the pie dough into a circle. Place the circle of dough inside a 9-inch pie pan so that it hangs over the edges of the pie pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 20 minutes.

Roll out the remaining pie dough on a lightly floured surface to about 14 inches in diameter. Gently place the dough circle on a parchment paper lined sheet pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Place the sliced apples, lemon juice, and sugar in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. In another bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Toss the flour mixture with the apples and allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.

Remove the piecrusts from the refrigerator. Fill the bottom crust with the apple mixture, mounding the apples into the pie plate. Top the pie with the remaining dough circle, allowing the edges to hang over the sides of the dish. Using kitchen scissors, trim the dough so that only an inch hangs over the edges, pinching the top and bottom crusts together as you trim. Using your index fingers and thumbs, go around the edges of the pie crimping the dough in a wavy pattern. Using a paring knife, cut several small slits in the top of the pie to allow steam to escape while baking.

Whisk together the egg and water. Lightly brush the mixture onto the top of the pie and sprinkle with sugar. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350º F and bake for an additional 25 minutes.

At this point you should check pie and cover lightly with aluminum foil to make sure it doesn't get too brown. Bake covered an additional 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the pie from the oven and allow to rest until cooled, about 1 hour.

Pie Crust
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, cold
6 to 10 tablespoons ice water

Place flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor and combine. Add butter to the flour mixture and process until it resembles coarse meal. Gradually add ice water, using just enough so the dough holds together.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide dough in two. Place each piece on a sheet of plastic wrap. Grasping the ends of the plastic wrap with your hands, press the dough into a flat disc with your fists. Wrap in the plastic, and chill for at least one hour.

Cold Gnocchi Tomato Salad

By: The Food Hunter

On weekends we often structure our meals to replicate the courses of a traditional Italian meal. By this I mean a small appetizer course, followed by a pasta course and then the meat course served with a vegetable. Eating like this allows for both a small pasta and a meat course without feeling completely overwhelmed by the food.

For example, a recent feast at our house started with some warm marinated olives, followed by a cold gnocchi caprese, and a porchetta with a side of broccoli rabe.  Though gnocchi can often be quite heavy serving it as a starter is a great way to not stuff yourself. I found the recipe below on With Salt & Wit and other than using homemade gnocchi and plain mozzarella I didn't change much.



Cold Gnocchi Tomato Salad
1 lb gnocchi
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups marinated mozzarella, diced small
1 large handful of basil, finely diced
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil
Balsamic glaze, for drizzling

Cook gnocchi, drain and toss with olive oil. Place in fridge to chill at least an hour. Once cold toss with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with balsamic glaze.