End of Summer Small Bites

Rome-Florence-Prata-Bologna-Ravenna-Perugia-Rome. With lots of stops in-between. It's heady stuff and I am way behind my time. Clothes to sort, hair to dye, plays to edit, learn to speak Italian and lots of late summer vegetables to use up. I have Mister Meatballs's roasted-green-and-red tomato sauce recipe memorized. (Yes, you'd like it.) I suspect my 20-something children will not be gardening.

This slightly sweet, a wee bit savory zucchini snack cake from Mary Ann Esposito is the perfect recipe for using up late summer zucchini and pleasing the nibblers in the house. Called "Zucchini Cake Viareggio Style," by Ms. Esposito, she does mention that when you take it from the oven don't be surprised if you see that it is well-cooked, like a well-worn shoe. And indeed it is. It is also scrumptious enough that I had to keep it out of sight because I was in danger of nibbling it into extinction before anyone else could partake.

 Zucchini Snack Cake Ingredients - serves 8
(From Tastes of Italia, August 2011)
butter and flour for pan
1 pound small zucchini
salt
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Butter and flour a 9x12x2-1/2 or 7x11-inch baking dish and set aside. 
2. Cut zucchini into thin rounds. Layer them in a colander and sprinkle salt between each layer. Place a "weight" (I used cans) on the zucchini and let it sweat for 1 hour. 
3. Rinse and dry slices and proceed.
4.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
5. In a large bowl whisk melted butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in milk, salt and flour until a better forms.  Fold in zucchini. 
6. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Drizzle top with olive oil. 
7. Bake for 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool a few minutes and cut into squares. 
8. Serve warm or at room temperature.

It has restorative powers. I was able to bake this while learning how to say "I don't speak Italian," do laundry, answer e-mails while prepping the roasted green tomato sauce.

My tomatoes are finally coming in. What date is today? My plants clearly have not read their gardening books. They just march or ripen to the beat of a different drummer.

End of season plum tomatoes? Hollow them out and stuff them with bread crumbs, pitted Kalamata olives, Parmesan,some tomato pulp and oregano mixed with a little olive oil. Salt and pepper top taste. Bake them in a 375-degree oven till softened and the stuffing bubbles (about 30-35 minutes).  Make sure you use the Kalamata olives - they add tang and nuance to contrast the sweetness.

And my wonderful stand-by. Zucchini carpaccio. Best with small-medium zucchini. Save the big honkers for bread or soup.

Thinly slice your zucchini (important). Make a simple vinaigrette with lemon and olive oil or some champagne vinegar and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss zucchini with your vinaigrette. Shave some Pecorino cheese over it. I did have more blossoms - so I sliced them thinly and tossed with the zucchini. You can also add thinly sliced leeks, red onions or shallots for some pungency.

I am printing all of your suggestions for Italy. Husband and I are wanderers so I may not make it to all the restaurants. If you know of certain foods in the different regions I must try - please let me know. (Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Umbria and Lazio).

I will try to visit you before I leave. Keep your forgiveness light open if I don't - I kept thinking I had all this time and I don't. Meanwhile, my 20-somethings have assured me that they will have a weekly kegger and the police will be called to our home once a week. Ciao for now. See you... in October.

Goat Cheese Timbales in a Sea of Change

Seattle was the perfect place to be as my world changed. I am a "water baby." And like to contemplate looking at bodies of water. Seattle provides water contemplation.

And if bits of my being seemed scattered upon rocks or washed out to sea, the movement soothed me, heightened my feelings and gave way ...

... to quiet thoughts. And appreciation of what is.

I've changed my life before. After an unfortunate "bus incident," I packed my bags and moved from NYC to MN within a week. But not without a plan. I knew the neighborhood I would live in, the theatres I would audition for, the climate... and the lack of food (which has happily improved over - the decades). In fact, my cooking obsession can be directly tied to the fact that I could not find my New York traditional Italian and food-finds and so had to recreate them!

And if you're life is changing, eating crab at Pike's Market can stimulate the brain cells. I know.

I had it all. And then some.

Crab cocktail.

Crab roll.

And at Saltys - with a view of the Seattle skyline - a supper club - but - most importantly - they served -

Crab legs!

And then I came home and had crab for three days. (Yes, I am obsessive - have you ever done this after a vacation?)

I visited the children's garden at the Seattle Children's Theatre. Are you surprised? My life change has to do with youth theatre.

"To know is nothing at all. To imagine is everything." - Anatole France

Yes, there's a waterfall inside the city limits of Seattle.

"Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their tribes, their families, their histories, too. Talk to them, listen to them. They are alive poems." - Joe Harjo

And Seattle was filled with alive poems. I will show more later, but before I make you impatient - I will get to the loveliest of recipes. Easy and elegant - as a life change should be but is not.  After contemplating the new - within the new - I came home and after my crabfest, needed a tried and true. Something that has sustained Paul and I throughout part of our marriage. Something that is a smile, a grin, a luxurious taste, a memory.

Ten years ago, my mother made this for Paul and I for our anniversary - it's from Bon Appetit. And tonight, I surprised Paul with it for his birthday. (He may have been relieved to see he wasn't having crab.)

Goat Cheese Timbales Wrapped in Prosciutto

Ingredients: (makes 3)
6 slices of prosciutto (not shaved paper thin)
5 ounces plain goat cheese
2-3 ounces cream cheese (or mascarpone)
4 scallions, chopped thin
fresh pepper - to taste
olive oil or Pam olive oil
mixed baby greens
Champagne vinaigrette (your favorite or bottled)

Preparation
With goat cheese and cream cheese at room temperature, beat together until smooth. Cut in thin slices of green scallions and pepper generously. Stir to combine all equally. In 3 4-5 ounce ramekins, lay proscicutto in a X-pattern in the ramekins. Divide goat cheese mixture equally in the 3 ramekins. Layer the overlapped prosciutto on top.

Cover, weight down with a can and let sit 6-8 hours or over night.

In a small saute pan lightly sprayed or brushed with olive oil, heat the timbales 3-4 minutes per side - until just about to ooze, (and if does ooze, enjoy - it's not a bad thing!)

Put aside for 20-30 minutes, so the cheese can "set." Bon Appetit has you serve it with haricot verts on the side which is grand - but I usually opt for baby spring greens in a champagne vinaigrette.

It looks so innocent and it is.

But them you cut into it -
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And it welcomes you by spreading its creamy goodness around the salad. Which is just what you want. Just what you need. Just what you counted on when all is changing. Some things are certain. The goat cheese timbales are a sure thing. They succeed every time. Have you ever made a life change? But brought the past with you - to ensure - a happy, new beginning?

Carnevale Cheese

Today is Day 115 of living in a snow globe. The only cure is to crack open that snow globe with rich, welcoming food. This weekend was the family Carnevale dinner: 3-cheese appetizers wrapped in toasted hazel nuts, stuffed mushrooms, vegetable pizza, strawberry-arugula-spinach salad with warmed honey-balsamic vinaigrette, linguine with pesto and pizza du grane. (Somehow missed the frappes/bugies this year). All in generous amounts.

I thought it was enough food for 7. The cheese balls alone will fill you up!
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Then my mother surprised me with this:

Artichoke gratin. Made with cheese, egg yolks, cream, garlic, oil, butter ... oh my. You tear at the artichoke dripping with thick buttery goodness and make a mighty mess. Garlic oils drip from the tips of your fingers - this is caloric bliss. And if you keep a running conversation with yourself as I do - just just keep telling yourself, "I'm eating a vegetable! This is healthy!"

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But that's for a later post. Dream of it for awhile. It's worth the wait.
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Today we say "cheese." And I am part mouse. (Don't tell the cat.) I inherited the mouse gene from my mother.

This post is about cheese balls. It contains my beloved ricotta, creamy mascarpone and just-a-tad-biting-gorgonzola dolce - to keep you on your toes. These cheese delectables didn't even mind being upstaged by my mother's artichoke gratin. They held their own. Until there were none left to hold.

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They made me feel luxurious - indulged. And after 115 days of looking at snow, I plan an indulgence every day. Because our first crocuses are at least a month away.

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Italian Cheese Balls - makes 10

(Adjust amounts according to taste and number needed)

1/2 cup toasted hazel-nuts - smashed a bit

1/3 cup ricotta cheese

1/3 cup mascarpone cheese

1/3 cup gorgonzola dolce (a younger, sweeter gorgonzola than the aged ones)

*garnish: a scattering of fresh Italian parsley leaves - other herbs would also work

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Italian Cheese Ball Preparation

1. Skin and toast your hazelnuts. (I boil them for 10-15 minutes in a quart of water with 2 tablespoons of baking soda to get the skins off. Drain them and shinny those skins off of them in a towel. Then roast them in a 350 degree F oven for 20-25 minutes to dry them and toast them).
2. Put in a plastic bag and pound some of them. Put them on a plate for later.
3. With a beater, blend your cheeses. Chill for 20 minutes to make them easier to handle.
4. Roll them into walnut-sized balls and then roll them in the roasted/toasted hazelnuts.
5. Put on plate, scatter fresh herbs and serve. Or put plastic over the plate and refrigerate for up to four-six hours (maybe more - who knows - they never last that long).

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And I had more than one reason to chortle in my joy this weekend. My short play Mythajawaba has been chosen as one of six plays for Sundog Theatre's 2011 Scenes from a Staten Island Ferry. I have history in Staten Island (school and first apartment) and spent a lot of time on that ferry. I really had fingers and toes crossed for this one (so much so the toes may be permanently disfigured). It's ...quirky - a total steal of Ulysses and the sirens - only now the siren is in the New York Harbor. And even more reason for chortling is - it's looking good that I will go to NYC to see it around the 15th of April.

I'm still going down in weight - even with cheese balls and artichoke gratin so something is going well. (I think you must burn a lot of calories stressing over play acceptances.) The topic this week was recommended reading to help you stay on track. As a manic reader (send me titles) and the proud new owner of a Kindle (love having thousands of books at my finger tips) - my reading is for sheer pleasure. I actually escape from my point-counting, caloric days and don't read for weight-loss inspiration. I am someone who needs to escape. The thing with "mindful eating" is to really figure out what works for you, and if reading helps - read! If eating cheese balls helps - eat cheese balls. Why don't you eat these!

Marinated Figs with Gorgonzola Dolce

I shall try to be succinct. I'm working on it but it doesn't always happen. After I put "end of play" at well... the end of a play. I spend months taking out stuff. Because I said it too many times.
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I wanted to leave you with a simple and "all-grown-up" appetizer for the New Year. I hope 2011 brings you simplicity and delectables. With a touch of excess to keep it interesting and savory to heighten the sweet.

If you like contrast you will like this. A touch of sharp with the sweet and crunch with the smooth, yes - you will like this very much.
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Marinated Figs with Sweet Gorgonzola Ingredients- serves 6-8
(Adapted from Tastes of Italia)
1 cup dried figs
1 cup ruby port wine
1/4 cup vincotto or a good balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
zest of 1 lemon
12-16 ounces Gorgonzola dolce
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Marinated Figs with Sweet Gorgonzola Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients (except the Gorgonzola!) in a medium saucepan.
2. Over medium heat, bring to a boil.
3. Lower the heat and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes.
4. To serve: serve warm of at room temperature. Combine the figs on a plate with a wedge of Gorgonzola dolce. If desired, provide crackers or bread. Spoon some sauce over a piece of the Gorgonzola and enjoy.

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I was fortunate to still have vincotto given to me by Sausage Debauchery. A good balsamic works very well here.
The Gorgonzola dolce is more mellow (it's a younger, creamier blue cheese) than most blue cheeses. It brings out the sweetness of the marinated figs. As with most Italian appetizers, you can play with this. Leave out the nuts or use hazelnuts. Add other dried fruits. In a season that sparkles with sugar and entices children, this fig and Gorgonzola appetizer is made for adults.
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During the simmering process, the port wine and vincotto (or balsamic vinegar) cook down to a thick, syrup glaze coating the figs and nuts. The figs become plumper and sweeter. This would also be delicious over gelato, ice cream or a sweet mascarpone-ricotta mixture. It is important to note that a lot of the alcohol does burn off but not all of it.
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As 2010 draws to a close, I want to thank-you for your friendship. When I began the blog as an archive of recipes and stories, I had no idea how enriched I would become by meeting you via food and the wonders of cybersphere. Meeting Pat from Mille Fiori Favoriti "for real" courtesy of Bertolli Foods was proof positive these friendships are not nebulous. Grazie. To all of you.
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And for fun: if you are snowed in and want to read a tantalizing discussion that went on in Dianne Jacob's "Will Write for Food" blog, click here. I dare you to not be intrigued. The topic: Is food blogging too much work? The answers are filled with passion, love, and there are some razor sharp insights into food blogging.
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Happy New Year! May it bring you delicious journeys in all the facets of your lives.