If you are an eggplant lover, then Baba Ganoush is definitely where it’s at. Essentially made from roasted eggplant, tahini, and lemon juice, this dip does to eggplant what hummus does to chick peas.

Flavorful? Check.

Healthy? Check.

Low calorie? Check. (It is a bit more calorie friendly than hummus).

Delicious? Double check.

I make this a lot in the summer when I have an abundance of eggplant. It is great with vegetables, crackers, and pita chips…or straight up with a spoon (no judgement, please).

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Peel two medium sized eggplant and cut both into medium sized cubes.

Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Give a good sprinkle of salt and pepper and a good drizzle of olive oil. (I opt to peel and cube the eggplant before roasting to spare my fingertips the agony of having to remove the flesh from the skin when the eggplant is hot. By roasting the eggplant this way, instead of halved with the skin on, I find that the Baba Ganoush is darker in color. No biggie). Add 1 or 2 whole cloves of garlic (how much garlic you add depends on how much garlic you like!) and place in the oven. Roast for 30 minutes or so, until the eggplant is soft and slightly browned.

Remove from oven and allow to cool 15 minutes. Then place the roasted eggplant and garlic in the bowl of a food processor along with 2Tbsp lemon juice, 1/4c tahini, and a good drizzle of olive oil. Process until smooth. Add more salt to taste.

The finished product is a creamy bowl of goodness that I have to force myself not to devour!

Buon Appetito!

Frying is a cooking technique that can make just about anything taste 100 times better. Last night we had fried beef cutlets for dinner. This is one of my all time favorites.

Easy.

Quick.

Great leftovers.

Total no brainer.

The best cut of meat to use is Top Round Cutlets. They are thin and cook in minutes. To begin, cut each one in half. Then beat three eggs with salt, pepper and garlic powder – about a half tsp of each.

Place the cutlets in the eggs, stir to coat each one well, and refrigerate. This can be done up to the day before.

When ready to fry, dredge each cutlet through dried bread crumbs and place in skillet with heated vegetable or peanut oil.

Fry about one minute, flip, and allow to fry another minute or so. Transfer to paper towels or a wire rack over a sheet pan to drain some of the oil. Serve immediately with lemon wedges, and anything else from hot peppers, to rapini, to fresh tomatoes, to just a salad.

FYI they are also great the next day in a crusty roll..especially with rapini.

Buon Appetito!

I am not a big fan of pork chops…especially if they have no bone. In my freezer I had six center cut pork chops, that I needed to do something with. I decided to use them to make spezzatino. Spezzatino is a sort of stew that involves chopped or cubed meat and vegetables. It is a great one pot meal. Most stews require a good amount of preparation and time to cook slowly. This somewhat abbreviated version is quicker, but still delicious.

To begin, dice one small yellow onion and place in a large skillet. Add six center cut pork chops that are also cubed, along with two finely minced cloves of garlic, one chopped yellow bell pepper, and 2Tbsp finely chopped rosemary. Add a good drizzle of olive oil and begin cooking over medium heat. As the pork begins to brown, stir well and season with salt and pepper. When the meat is completely browned, add 3/4c white wine, reduce heat to medium low, and cover the skillet. Allow to simmer for 1 hour. Then remove the lid and allow to simmer, uncovered, for another 10 to 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Cooked this way, the meat is tender and flavorful…way better than a simple pork chop. This is great with white rice, grits, polenta, or just a hunk of good, crusty Italian or French bread.

Buon Appetito!

I am a glutton for punishment…when it comes to zucchini. Just when I thought I had used them all…I find two more! (I think someone is secretly sneaking them into my house!).

Anyway, tonight it is pasta (of course) with a zucchini pesto and pancetta, because one cannot live by zucchini alone. This is a recipe from an Italian foodie Benedetta…I follow her on Facebook and she is fabulous!

Put on a pot of water for the pasta (I used a pound of pasta). Place the cubed pancetta (4oz) in a large skillet with 1Tbsp olive oil and allow it to brown on medium-low heat.

In a food processor, add two cubed medium zucchini, 1/4c grated Parmigiano, 3 to 4 basil leaves, about 1/4c chopped walnuts, and 2Tbsp extra virgin olive oil.

Process until smooth.

Warm the pesto by adding it directly to the skillet with the pancetta, and season with salt and pepper. When the pasta is cooked al dente, drain it and reserve about a cup of the cooking water. Combine the pasta with the zucchini pesto and the cooked pancetta in the skillet. Thin out with the reserved cooking water if needed. Serve with plenty of Parmigiano.

Buon Appetito!

I always buy zucchini with the best of intentions. But then, inevitably, I end up forgetting about them…only to be left with sadly neglected, somewhat soft zucchini in the bottom of my refrigerator.

One very easy way to rescue such zucchini (and end up with a tasty side dish) is to make zucchini fritters.

There are numerous recipes, but the ones I made tonight involved 2 small/medium zucchini (I always buy the smaller ones as they don’t have as many seeds), 2 large eggs, 1/4c plus 1Tbsp flour, 1/4c grated Pecorino cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I grated the zucchini with a hand held grater into a large bowl. Then I added the rest of the ingredients and mixed well. The consistency should be a bit loose, but more flour can be added if a thicker consistency is preferred.

Heat vegetable oil in a skillet and when the oil is hot, add small spoonfuls of the zucchini mixture. Fry 2 to 3 minutes and then flip. The fritters will turn a golden color when they are cooked. Drain on paper towels.

A simple and delicious way to save unsuspecting zucchini from ending up in the trash!

Buon Appetito!

If there is one thing I absolutely love, it is hummus. Creamy, smooth, tasty, addictive, and (my favorite) – simple. It is a definite in the snack department…who am I kidding? It is a definite in the “Anytime” department!

Plain hummus can easily be transformed by adding anything from roasted garlic to red peppers to olives to avocado. Last night, I opted for the red (and yellow) peppers. (I actually had some pan fried peppers and onions on hand and I decided to use them…never let an opportunity to repurpose left overs go by!).

To make hummus:

In the bowl of a food processor combine one 15oz can chickpeas (drained and rinsed), about 1/2 roasted pepper or more, 3Tbsp tahini, 1Tbsp lemon juice, and a dash of salt. Process. As the mixture comes together, drizzle in olive oil (with the machine running) until the mixture loosens. Continue to process until smooth. If the hummus appears too chunky or thick, continue processing and add a few tablespoons of water until the desired consistency is obtained.

Buon appetito!

Tonight’s dinner is going to be Tortellini in Asparagus Cream Sauce. I came across this recipe over 20 years ago, and it is an easy choice for when I want pasta in a not so traditional sauce. Plus it is a good way to get everyone to eat asparagus!

Simply blanch a bunch of asparagus ( rinsed and thick, fibrous ends removed) in a large skillet with 2c boiling water. After 3 minutes, drain the asparagus and allow to cool. In a food processor, process the cooled asparagus and 1c chicken or vegetable broth until smooth. Saute one chopped yellow onion in 2Tbsp olive oil and 1Tbsp butter on medium heat. When onion is soft, add asparagus puree, bring to a low simmer and reduce the heat to medium low. Add 1 pint heavy cream or half and half. Stir well and allow the cream to reduce. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. This is great with Tortellini, Rigatoni, Farfalle, Penne, or any other short pasta.

Buon Appetito!

In my house, leftovers are a rarity. With two teenage sons living here, you can never assume that what you find in the fridge will still be there the next time you check! This, however, almost never applies to leftover rice. Rice is one of those things that you make and eat immediately. It somehow loses its appeal when reheated.

The other night I made a mushroom gorgonzola risotto. Oddly we had leftovers. Tonight I used that risotto and made a frittata. Frittata is like an omelette that isn’t folded over. It is obviously egg-based and can include many ingredients from meats, to vegetables, to cheese. It is a great dish to make if you are emptying out the refrigerator.

I had about 4 cups of leftover risotto. This can also be made with leftover white rice.

In a large nonstick skillet heat 3Tbsp olive oil and add the risotto in a single layer. Allow to heat through on medium heat for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, beat 6 large eggs and season with salt and pepper to taste. When the risotto is heated through and has a nice crust on the bottom, add the beaten eggs to the skillet and gently nudge and lift the rice so that as much of the eggs seep through. Make sure to get the edges. At this point, you have two options: A. the heat can be lowered to medium-low and the skillet can be covered and the frittata will continue cooking or B. you can invert the frittata onto a large round dish and slide it back into the skillet to allow the top to finish cooking, without the need to cover. Unless you know what you are doing, I would go with option A. I found out the hard way that I am not well-versed in frittata inversion, and let’s just say that cleaning up frittata is not as fun as actually eating it!

Buon appetito!