Tomato, Mint and Feta Salad

May you be showered with a bounty of tomatoes! That is my wish for everyone everywhere. Tomatoes are truly fruits of the gods, and I am not embarrassed to admit that each summer season I remember, all over again, how wonderful fresh, in-season tomatoes taste!

Usually, there is no need for a "recipe" for a tomato salad, but since most people think of basil to pair with it (which I usually do) and probably fewer consider mint, I wanted to offer this suggestion. I was out of basil and itching for a tomato salad with some herb in it. Remembering that feta and mint is often paired in many Mediterranean cuisines (North African, Middle Eastern) I decided to give that a try. Wow! There's a reason mint goes with feta and the additional of tomato and some black briney olives brought it all together.

Parmesan-Crusted Roasted Zucchini Medallions

I have to confess, sometimes I just can't look at another summer squash and zucchini in particular. It just brings back too many memories of my childhood when my mother would send my sisters and I around trying to sell off our giant zucchinis. As a nine year old, I was already at that point where I felt more than a little embarassed, bordering on ashamed, that we were peddling zucchinis to neighbors. It wasn't for the money, but more that my mom wouldn't give them away (very few people actually bought them!) But she was such an entrepreneur that she wasn't going to just GIVE them away! All of that is to say that this recipe from her serves to erase any residual angst leftover from that memory - it's just that good!

Just when you think you couldn't possibly eat another summer squash let me tell you that you need to try this; carmealized, juicy (very!) medallions with a parmesan cheese crust. They were so incredible that I was beginning to think that I ate a baseball-bat size amount of zucchini and had to consciously force myself to stop. Eat them when they are hot, they are simply amazing!

Pesto Rosso Farfalle with Lemon

Pesto Rosso is pesto made with sundried tomatoes, oil-cured olives and basil. I love this version of pesto, not only because I would eat only olives if that was a healthy diet, but because it brings together the oily, briney flavors of the Mediterranean even more so than basil pesto.

I first discovered the idea of pesto rosso in Patricia Wells' Trattoria cookbook, a great follow up to the first book of her's I bought, Bistro Cooking. Trattorias are the Italian version of bistros and her cookbook makes it all seem so simple.

Polenta with Parmesan and Butter

Polenta is Italian for cornmeal mush. Yup, ask any southerner and they'll tell you that grits is the same as polenta, only not cooked as long. It's poor people's food, and really tasty at that!

Of course whatever is deemed "exotic" becomes gourmet, given enough hype. Lots of high-end restaurants serve polenta as a side, and make plenty of people happy with its delicious creaminess. Don't get me wrong; I do not mean to slight polenta, its cousins or anyone who serves it. I love the stuff, I just find it amusing that such an inexpensive dish is so hyped by expensive chefs. To be fair, many great chefs are inspired by humble food and simply amp it up a bit with expensive ingredients. You can do that as well but one of my favorite ways to eat polenta is toasted with butter and some parmesan cheese. Simple, flavorful, delightful!

Zabaglione with Raspberries

As cliche as it sounds, people love the sound of the Italian language. Jamie Lee Curtis in A Fish Called Wanda, Bananarama sang, "Robert DeNiro is waiting, talking Italian," and countless other pop culture references have women swooning over the spoken word of Italian. Well, cliches are full of truth, and the truth is I've always wanted to make this dessert because of its name; specifically the sound of its name.

[dzabaˈjonɛ] is the phonetic spelling, but I think of it as "zza-bag-li-own-y". Make sense? Maybe not but trust me, this quick dessert is so easy to make it won't matter if you know how to pronounce it or not. Of course the French also have a version they call sabayon, but I think the Italian sounds prettier! (I'm just a tad biased!)

People often add whipped cream to give it some heft, it's thinner than it looks. But I like the unadulterated version I made here.

Zabaglione

2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup Marsala wine
drop vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

Place all ingredients in a double boiler, ensuring water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. If you don’t have a double boiler, use a metal bowl that fits inside a saucepan without touching the bottom or the water in the saucepan. Bring water in pan to a low simmer and place bowl on top. Add yokes, sugar and Marsala in bowl and whisk continually over low heat until the zabaglione thickens and triples in size, about 10-15 minutes. Add vanilla and stir a few minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and serve immediately with fresh berries on top.

Hugs!

Recipes currently inspiring me: 

Seared Beef, Cucumber and Bean Sprout Salad at Essentially Healthy Food
Tarragon Corn at Simply Recipes
Green Goddess Dressing at Hedonia

Roasted Tomato Bloody Mary Mix

Years and years ago I used to attend and occassionally host a weekly poker party. It was penny-ante stuff, literally; the ante was a nickle and the highest you could raise was a quarter. High stakes, folks! Of course, the card playing was really just an excuse for poor grad students to get together and feast on snacks and drinks.

At my house we perfected the Bloody Mary; spicy tomato juice, worchestershire sauce, horseradish and of course all of the garnishes possible - dill pickle, green olive (stuffed with garlic or blue cheese), carrot stick, and celery. It was practically gazpacho with vodka! Always a hit with everyone, and we made them by the pitcher-full. Needless to say many risks were taken and much laundry money lost on the Bloody Mary nights!