Archive for the ‘what’s cooking wednesday’ Category
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Hummus Without Tahini
Today’s What’s Cooking Wednesday has little to do with Italian food except for the fact that one of the usual main ingredients of hummus can be difficult to find for some of us in Italy.
When Sharon of Respiri Di Vita posted a recipe for tahini-less hummus last week, I was pretty sure this would quickly become a staple in my house.
And it has, so I’m sharing it with all of you because I love it *that* much. This is word-for-word from Sharon’s recipe as there’s nothing I would change even a bit. That’s even her pretty photo!
Sharon posted a week full of quick, delicious recipes recently, so do go have a look.
Hummus Without Tahini
1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
1 tablespoon peanut butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Taste and adjust to your liking.
Peanut butter, by the way, is now pretty easy to find around here whereas at one time, there was no hope. Of course it costs about 5 euros (7 US dollars) for a small jar, so I always welcome peanut butter donations from my family and friends.
I don’t know if it was Sharon’s own idea to substitute peanut butter for tahini, but it was certainly she who opened up the world of hummus for me in Italy. And I will always be grateful.
Grazie mille Sharon, e buon appetito a tutti!
Calabrian Stuffed Eggplant – Melanzane Ripiene
This recipe for stuffed eggplant is local to Badolato, Calabria, and it’s the most delicious melanzane ripiene I’ve ever had.
Read on...what’s cooking wednesday: figs, figs, figs
A long time ago, when I asked all of you to ask me questions to fill out JennieBoo‘s eight things meme,* Amanda of the always delicious Figs Olives Wine kept it short and sweet:
The most delicious thing you’ve eaten in Calabria. Something that just blew you away when you tasted it.
As it turns out, my answer is also short and sweet, literally.
The fresh fig.
These are some green ones, not quite ripe yet, on our fig tree taken about a month and a half ago (in one of the last photos of my injured camera).
Don’t you just love the shape of fig leaves? I hear Adam and Eve sure did. Hah!
And here is a much better, nay awesome photo of the “black” variety, which I found through a Flickr search and am using here under a Creative Commons license (great way to *legally* use others’ pretty photos! Notice I did this on the Spaghetti Strike post as well):
Click here or on the photo to go and see more photos by Xerones–fabulous. Leave him some comments and let him know I sent you.
But back to the figs, did you know that the fig is one of the first plants cultivated by humans? And they’re good for you too!
I had never eaten a fresh fig before I came here, and man oh man, I had no idea what I was missing. This little seedy (in a good way) fruit is by far my new favorite anything–and like Amanda, I prefer it fresh to any other way.
So that’s my first serving suggestion for figs on this What’s Cooking Wednesday.
How do I eat them? Like P taught me. Cut a cross in the top (the end that used to be connected to the tree) and then peel back the skin one part at a time with the edge of the knife. It’ll come back easily if they’re ripe enough–just do be sure to eat them within a day or two of picking them off the tree. They won’t last much longer than that.
Next, I’m going to point you to my second favorite way to eat figs aside from plain with the juice running down my fingers, and that’s with prosciutto crudo.
Jenn, also known as The Leftover Queen and founder of The Foodie Blogroll, has a great description of this dish here. I was setting up a photo of this about a month ago when I realized my camera was dead, so this is a bit of an emotional plate for me now, but I still love it.
Judy of Over a Tuscan Stove and the Divina Cucina Cooking School in Florence also recommends pairing figs with salami–something I’ve never tried, but sounds tasty as well.
And last but certainly not least, I’m going to go back to the inspiration for this post, Amanda, and send you to her Fresh Figs with Fleur de Sel, Aged Balsamic, and Hazelnuts, which she put up just yesterday, reading my mind on what I was going to talk about today.
So, the fresh fig. Simple, delicious, and quite honestly one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in Calabria or anywhere. I also like them dried and in jams, but fresh? Just. Wow.
Doesn’t need to be complicated to be good folks, so even if figs aren’t your thing or you can’t manage to get them, do try to eat lots of other fresh fruits while they’re still in season.
Pair them with flavors you think would complement one another–sweet and salty is always a good bet. Pears and gorgonzola? Apples and cheddar? Grapes and Parmesan?
Be creative, have fun, and keep an open mind!
You never know when your next favorite food combination could show up.
Buon appetito!
*[For those just joining us, feel free to go back and read parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the answers to the questions that were asked.]
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[tags]figs, what’s cooking wednesday, figs and prosciutto crudo[/tags]
what’s cooking wednesday: linguine with tomatoes, zucchini, and grilled shrimp
Hello faithful readers! I have a favor to ask . . .
Would you kindly click over to Tomato Casual where I’ve posted Tomatoes and Zucchini – A Match Made in the Garden?
There you’ll find out more about What’s Cooking Wednesday; be sure to let me know you’ve visited!
Buon appetito!
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Fried Zucchini Slices
On the heels of our wonderful discussion about obesity and eating healthier (most commented on post ever around here!), I’m posting a recipe that *so* doesn’t qualify as healthy for this week’s What’s Cooking Wednesday.
I do hope that when I post such gluttonous dishes you realize that these aren’t meant to be eaten every day–today’s fried zucchini slices, for example, I make once, maybe twice a year. These would be great as an appetizer at a special summer dinner party.
Anyway, remember those stuffed zucchini flowers from last week? Well now we’re working with the actual fruit–yes, zucchini is technically, botanically speaking a fruit just like the tomato.
These are pretty simple, and you just might be able to slip zucchini past even the pickiest eaters.
Fried Zucchini Slices
- One large zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
- 1 c breadcrumbs (*not* seasoned, if seasoned, omit onion and garlic powder)
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp grated parmiggiano cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp milk
- vegetable or olive oil for frying
1. Wash and cut zucchini slices, leaving skin on. You can slice them thinner than what I recommend, but then you lose the zucchini flavor–thicker slices, of course, would give you even more zucchini bang for your euro (or whatever currency you’re currently using).
2. Combine egg, salt, and milk in small shallow bowl. Mix together bread crumbs, onion and garlic powder, and cheese in a separate small shallow bowl.
3. Dip zucchini slices in egg and then coat well with bread crumb mixture. Be sure to keep them separated from one another until you’re ready to fry (avoid stacking).
4. Fry zucchini slices in hot oil until golden brown and then let cool on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
5. These are best served warm so if you won’t be serving right away, I suggest keeping them warm in the oven.
Buon appetito!
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
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