Tag: italy

Fresh Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta

IMG_3815Somewhere in my DNA, there is an Italian heritage hanging out. Though I haven’t yet been to the country I seem to have an affinity for anything Italian. The culture, language, food, and history are all part of Italys draw on me.  Italy is a country that has always had a pull on my heartstrings. Chianti is my favorite wine AND Italy was my favorite part of Eat, Pray, Love. Honestly, I usually start the book with the intention to simply stop after Italy but I always get wrapped up in the purpose of the book and wind up reading India and Indonesia and mirroring her own journey in my life as I read it.

While pasta and pizza are the two dishes that will likely come to mind when you think of Italian cooking, there are SO many other amazing and unique recipes and preparation styles that grace us from that fantastic country. I don’t remember the first time that I had bruschetta, but I do remember the first time that I had my other half’s bruschetta. It was after one of our first road trips together, the sun was shining, we were in the honeymoon of early enamoration and the world was our oyster. Yep, I just made up a word variation for enamored! He “whipped” up his now famous bruschetta while I arranged some tapas on a plate then we grabbed a bottle of wine, our sunglasses, and headed up to the roof to eat alfresco. This is one of my favorite meals I’ve actually ever had because it combined so many of my all time favorite things: those I love, wine, tapas style eating, sunshine, eating outside and fresh foods.

IMG_3818This bruschetta has been requested MANY times and while he’s never used a recipe, it always has that taste of spending a summer day eating outside on the roof with someone you love. You’ll notice there are not measurements. In the true Italian form, this is a dish that is best mastered over multiple and personalized to the chef and guests tastes so you can experiment with the ratios on each of the ingredients and put your own spin on the taste and texture.

One thing I will note about this dish, is how little oil you need. Olive Oil is both delicious and good for you when used in moderation, but this spread needs very little olive oil which increases the flavor and allows you to focus on the texture of the herbs and tomatoes versus any exceeding amount of oil. The shallots, onion and garlic have their own natural oils and juices, and finding a balance between those natural oils and a minimal amount of EVOO to sauté in will be the key!

Fresh Garden Bruschetta

heirloom cherry tomatoes, washed and halved
basil, washed and chiffonaded
fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt, to taste
aged balsamic
EVOO, used sparingly
minced garlic
red onion, chopped
shallots, chopped
grated parmesan or mozzarella cheese
artisan bread slices

  1. Wash and prepared each of the veggies as directed and slice up the artisan bread
  2. In a medium bowl, mix the tomatoes, basil, cheese and a drizzle of balsamic, adding fresh cracked pepper and sea salt to taste
  3. Heat a pan over medium-high heat, using the EVOO sparingly
  4. Add onions and shallots and cook until they start to turn translucent
  5. Add the garlic to the pan and reduce to medium low, cooking just a few minutes longer to mix flavors 
  6. Pour the hot mixture into the bowl, and gingerly toss all ingredients together
  7. You can either serve this immediately or make it ahead of time, cover and refrigerate up to 3 hours

Homemade Limoncello

In the midst of a frigid cold Seattle day, a slight break in the rain, and at least a few months of grey ahead I needed some hope for spring and summer. A small reminder that the sun will come out again and roof top BBQ’s and 10pm sunsets aren’t just a distant memory but a hopeful upcoming delight. One of the most delicious discoveries last summer was Limoncello. One of my girlfriends brought me a bottle of her batch as a housewarming gift and little did I know…it was DELICIOUS! I love citrus in cocktails and this wonderful libation changed my very life!

This recipe takes about 6 weeks but it’s WELL worth the wait! Feel free to experiment with other citrus; blood oranges, tangerines…the possibilities are endless! For this recipe I  did a batch of lemon and a small batch of grapefruit so I’ll keep you posted on how they turn out!

Update- the grapefruit turned out MARVELOUSLY! I doubled the citrus and halved the sugar so it’s most assuredly a mixer as opposed to the traditional aperitif but it’s still quite delicious!

 

A bit of History (from Wikipedia)

“Limoncello is an Italian lemon liqueur mainly produced in Southern Italy.It is traditionally served chilled as an after-dinner digestivo. Along the Amalfi Coast, it is usually served in small ceramic glasses themselves often chilled, the Amalfi coast being a center of both ceramics and limoncello production. This tradition has been carried into other parts of Italy.”

Rick Steves article on Limoncello cites that it’s the second-most-popular liqueur in Italy after Campari!

Notes:

  • Whatever volume you have for the first phase, you will need about double the space when you add the simple syrup so start with a LARGE container!
  • I’ve heard with all the lemon and simple syrup in the recipe, that you can use cheap vodka and run it through a Brita a few times. For the first go around I used the good stuff, since I didn’t want to mess it up but the next go around I might think about a little lower shelf alcohol.

Limoncello
Ingredients
2 lbs Meyer lemons
1 qt vodka (I used Sky)
6 c water
2 1/2 c sugar
Cambro restaurant style plastic bins
Norpro Natural Cheesecloth
Jars or Bottles for the final product
OXO Good Grips Citrus Squeezer
Microplane

Directions (Initial Step)

  • Zest lemons with Microplane, making sure that you don’t include any of the white pith, into the Cambro restaurant style plastic bins. Pour the alcohol into the bins and mix with the zest. Place bins in a dark place. Shake up the mixture once a week to assure that all the oils and alcohol are mixing together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Once you’ve mixed up the Lemoncello, cut the citrus in half and juice into a separate bowl. If you don’t have one, purchase a OXO Good Grips Citrus Squeezer. This handy little tool will be your saving grace for the juicing part! Since the juice  makes hands slippery during this part, the grip on the  handles is a really nice feature while the ceramic types can slip around a little. Once you’ve juiced the citrus, dispose of the rinds and pour the fresh juice into ice cube trays to use in cooking and baking.

 

 

 

 

 

Directions (4-6 weeks later)

  1. On the 4th week shake up, check and see if the zest is white. This indicates that the oils have fully been extracted. If not, allow to steep 1-2 more weeks.
  2. Once the lemons are pale, strain the liquid through Norpro Natural Cheesecloth into a large bowl and discard the zest. On this step it’s helpful to have another set of hands or a large rubber band to adhere the cloth before pouring the liquid and the zest.
  3. In a saucepan over low heat, heat the water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is clear. Let cool to room temperature and mix into the strained alcohol.
  4. Pour into bottles that you wish to display the final product in.
  5. Place back in a dark cupboard and let steep for 1-2 more weeks. Then you’re done and ready to enjoy!!
  6. Limoncelllo can be stored in the fridge or freezer for weeks!