Zucchini and Eggplant Galette

 

If I told you that the trees are already changing colors in Bonn, would you believe me?

I’ve only worn shorts once this year and have spent most of the days in blue jeans and long sleeved shirts.

The weather this “summer” has been unbelievable, and to accompany this cold weather, I’ve come down with a terrible cold.

Luckily I had two cuddly cats who have been doing their best to help me feel better.

Getting well has been my top priority for two main reasons:

1. I have to completely prepare my classroom by Wednesday afternoon.

2. Thursday morning, Sebastian and I are off to Budapest, Hungary for our summer vacation.

Sadly, this has been my view from the couch since Friday. After three days out flat with this terrible cold, today is the first day I’ve felt human again.

Now that I’m feeling more like myself, I am back in the kitchen!

This recipe for zucchini, squash and ricotta galette had me at hello.

While unpacking the zucchini and eggplant from my CSA box on Friday, I knew I wanted to put my own spin on Erin’s mouthwatering recipe.

I quickly put together the pastry dough in the food processor this morning before heading out to the local flea market.

Flea markets in Germany are fantastic. More like a good, community garage sale in the US than a crappy parking lot flea market.

Today I bought two items, a spaetzle maker and this wonderful bag of giant butterflies that I will use to decorate my classroom.

With these giant butterflies suspended from the ceiling, I hope my new students feel like they’ve walked into a magical world on their first day of school!

I’ve become a bit partial towards nylon butterflies since last year’s Carnival costume.

Once back home, I cut up the vegetables and made the ricotta filling for the galette.

I followed the original recipe with only one substitution. I used an eggplant in place of the yellow squash.

Beautiful!

This dish is light and delicate. My only complaint is that the moisture of the zucchini and eggplant created a slightly soupy center even though I thoroughly drained the sliced veggies before baking.

I absolutely adore the pastry in this recipe. It is so flaky, tender and perfect!

If these photos have grabbed your attention, please head over to Naturally Ella to find the recipe.

Served with a mixed salad, this was a wonderful recipe to get me back on my feet again.

I hope to finish a few projects at school tomorrow. I am so eager to share what I’ve been up to, but want to wait until the whole class is prepared.

I hope all of you are well and have had a great weekend!

Read Full Post »

Barbecue Chickpea Pizza

Last week, Sebastian came home with a BBQ Chicken pizza. It smelled fantastic. Right away, my mind started on a recipe for a completely homemade, made from scratch, vegetarian version.

I’m so glad he gave me the inspiration, because this BBQ Chickpea Pizza with sourdough crust turned out exactly as I’d hoped.

 

I made the sourdough pizza crust earlier in the week. The recipe made enough dough for two very large pizzas. I immediately used one half for the veggie pizza I posted here and simply placed the remaining dough in the refrigerator.

The dough continued to slowly grow in the fridge, holding up exceptionally well for this recipe which was made three days later.

I also made a homemade barbecue sauce for the pizza. I find the bottled sauces in Germany to be way too sweet. After tossing a bunch of ingredients in a pot and letting them cook together, I was left with a delicious, tangy, smoky and sweet barbecue sauce.

I used a bit less than 1/4 cup of the sauce directly on the pizza dough then used another 1/2 cup to cook the chickpeas in. I was left with enough sauce to fill a medium sized jar which is now hanging out in the fridge, waiting to be used.

I topped the sourdough crust and BBQ sauce with freshly shredded gouda cheese.

As mentioned earlier, I cooked about 1 cup of drained and rinsed canned garbanzo beans in 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce. I let the sauce cook until it had reduced and thickened around the chickpeas.

On top of the cooked BBQ chickpeas, I placed a few plain chickpeas, a sprinkle of smoked paprika, thinly sliced red onions and fresh mozzarella cheese.

 

The pizza was cooked at a moderately high temperature until the crust and cheese were golden brown. Sprinkled with finely sliced basil leaves, this pizza was good to go!

Delicious!

Homemade BBQ Sauce

(I sort of tossed in ingredients as I went along so this is more of an estimate than an exact recipe. Adjust the spices to fit your tastes.)

Makes about 2 cups BBQ sauce

Ingredients

1/3 cup molasses

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2 Tbsp. finely chopped red onion

1 cup ketchup

1 tsp. tamarind paste

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/ tsp. ground mustard

1 tsp. smoked paprika

red pepper flakes to taste

Method

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a small sauce pan. Heat to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the sauce reaches a desirable consistency.

Read Full Post »

Sourdough Pizza Dough

Yesterday I shared a recipe for sourdough bagels from a book published 8 years before I was born: Sourdough Cookery by Rita Davenport.

Today I’m here to share another recipe from the oh-so-talented sourdough baker, Rite Davenport.

In her book, Rita shared not only her recipe for the dough, but also her pizza sauce recipe and suggested toppings.

You’re going to have to buy her book to get the whole kit and caboodle, but I’m happy to share the sourdough pizza dough recipe.

Sourdough Pizza Dough

Makes 2 very large pizzas

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sourdough starter

1 cup warm milk

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons cooking oil

2 1/2- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

olive oil for brushing

Method

1. Add the milk, salt, sugar and vegetable oil to the sourdough starter. Stir together. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time. Stir well after each addition. Add enough flour until the dough is too stiff to stir with a spoon. Dough should be heavy but elastic.
2. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead 5-10 minutes.
3. Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and set in a warm place, free from drafts and let rise about 2 hours or until doubled in size.
4. Divide dough into two equal parts. Stretch or roll out each part to create a round pizza dough. Create a slight ridge to form a crust.
5. Brush the dough with olive oil and continue to create your pizza as you wish.

Our first pizza dough was used as a base for a vegetable pizza which included tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, spinach and broccoli.

Oh so good!

Read Full Post »

Big and Medieval

Today was another gorgeous day in the French countryside.

We started off a bit late today after sleeping in and talking all morning.

We arrived at our first stop just in time to witness everything close up for the three hour lunch break.

Crap.

Katie and I made the best of the pause by wandering the streets of Évron and photographing the famous Basilica of Nortre-Dame-de-l’Epine.

The Basilica was built between the 11th and 16th centuries.

The architecture of the building is both Romanesque and Gothic.

The Basilica was very quiet. Peaceful and quiet.

At 1:30, the tourist information office re-opened and a very friendly English speaking French girl was happy to help us find things to do.

Just not in Évron.

We still had another half hour to wait before the bank that supposedly exchanged traveler’s checks was reopened.

When we asked what else there was to see in Évron, the girl just laughed and said, “only the Basilica.”

Long story short, we were sent from place to place regarding the traveler’s checks. Emotions were high. Katie and I both lost our patience, then miraculously, the post office exchanged a small amount of Katie’s infuriating fake currency.

A note to any and all travelers, regardless of what your parents, guide books or bank tellers say, NEVER rely on traveler’s checks for your European vacation.

Just use your debit card. The fees are minimal and ATMs are everywhere.

Simple. Done.

After that, we moved on- figuratively and literally.

We moved on to visit the Medieval city of Saint Suzanne.

Like any tourist trap, Saint Suzanne was beautifully maintained and provided plenty of photo opportunities.

From the tower of the old castle, I was able to enjoy spectacular views of the land below.

I wish Katie wasn’t afraid of man-made heights, because the climbing structure that was in place in the tower was really cool.

 

I can’t image defending a castle.

Before leaving Saint Suzanne, Katie and I popped into a little shop that sells soap and perfume.

Although the welcoming party was a bit creepy, everything smelled fantastic.

 

We had an easy drive back then kicked up our feet for a bit.

Back at the gite, I made a simple dinner while Katie posted pictures on facebook.

We had baked camembert cheese with jam and warm baguette along with an arugula salad with carrots and tomatoes.

I love the look in the lady’s eyes on the cover of the cheese. That’s the same look I have when a dinner of cheese is involved.

Right now it’s sprinkling rain outside. The fresh smell coming through the windows is working wonders to settle my soul. I have a feeling tonight will be a very restful sleep.

Read Full Post »

Tuesday in France

How was your day? Mine was like this.

 

We slept in late before awaking in a converted stable in the French countryside.

After quick showers, we were off to the nearest town to do grocery shopping and attempt to, yet unsuccessfully, exchange Katie’s traveler’s checks.

The afternoon was spent indoors as a rain shower passed. We ate tomato soup with a baguette and fresh garlic herb cheese, watched the rest of Amelie and read.

Once the rain passed, we put on our hiking boots and took of to explore the immediate surroundings. A croissant was had for snack and baked camembert with warm baguette and cherry jam was enjoyed as dinner.

On the agenda for tonight- planning the remainder of our days in the French countryside.

Read Full Post »

Israeli Couscous with Garlic Green Beans

Green beans have always been one of my favorite vegetables.

I attribute my green bean love to my grandparents.

Every spring, my grandpa plants an incredible vegetable garden. He plants lettuce, sweet corn, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, peppers, even peanuts, garlic and strawberries.

Although he was always on a careful planting schedule when I was young, he’d save green bean planting to do with me.

Green beans were always our special crop.

 

Together, we’d prepare the soil, plant the seeds, give them their first drink of water and mark the rows. Every time my family and I would visit between spring and summer, my grandpa would take me out to the garden and proudly announce, “Look how much our beans have grown.”

In my mind, they were our beans, Grandpa’s and mine.

When the green beans were ready to harvest, Grandpa would call me up and exclaim that it was time to pick our beans.

He always waited and let me pick the first bean of the season.

Once we had a bucket full of freshly picked green beans, we’d bring them into the kitchen and my Grandma would take over.

She taught me how to snap off the ends and cook the beans to perfection with a butter and bacon.

Years later, when I announced my vegetarianism, my grandparents made the ultimate sacrifice- they stopped cooking bacon with the green beans.

My brothers will be the first to admit that Grandma and Grandpa’s green beans just aren’t the same without the bacon, but they all lovingly made that change for me.

Even now, when I travel back to the US, my grandparents cook up green beans from the garden; specially saved and frozen for my next return.

As I opened my CSA delivery this week and found a brown paper bag full of green beans, I was instantly taken back.

Taken back to my grandparents’ garden, full of love, learning, gentleness and guidance.

Although I wish I could have shared this green bean meal with my grandparents, I’m happy I can share it with you.

Israeli Couscous with Garlic, Green Beans, Zucchini and Pine Nuts

Makes 3 servings ~ Ready in 15 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 zucchini, chopped into bite sized pieces

3 large handfuls fresh green beans

2 shallots, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 Tablespoons butter

1 1/3 cup Israeli couscous

1 3/4 cups boiling vegetable broth (or water with stock granules)

2 Heaping tablespoons pine nuts

salt and pepper to taste

Fresh parmesan cheese to garnish

Method

1. Clean the green beans, remove the ends and cut into 1 inch pieces. Steam until slightly tender. Remove from heat.
2. Place 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a medium sized pan along with the couscous. Cook over medium-high heat until the couscous begins to turn golden brown. Slowly stir in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil and butter in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat until melted. Add the garlic, shallots and zucchini. Sauté until the zucchini becomes slightly tender. Add the steamed green beans and continue to cook for a couple more minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
4. Add the pine nuts to the vegetable mixture and cook until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. To serve, place the vegetables over the couscous and sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese.

Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful fathers and grandfathers out there… especially mine.

I love you all so much.

Read Full Post »

Mushroom,Eggplant and Garlic Pizza

Keeping with tradition, tonight was pizza night.

This pizza was so simple to put together.

Faster than ordering delivery and deliciously fresh.

I used a thawed and risen portion of fresh yeast pizza dough as a base.

Topped it with leftover marinara sauce, fresh crimini mushrooms, eggplant and garlic, then used an assortment of cheeses, including fresh mozzarella, parmesan and crumbly goat cheese.

I sprinkled the pizza with Italian seasoning, drizzled the top with olive oil then baked it on my oven’s hottest setting until cooked.

Awesome.

Now I want the leftovers.

Read Full Post »

Vegan Almond Herbed Pizza Cheese

I’m sure all my friends and family back in the Midwest are going “Huh?” and “yuck!” over that title.

Well get ready to change that “yuck” into a “yum!”

When we returned from our trip to Vienna, we were out of everything- even milk. Being out of milk is a dreadful thing when you love coffee as much as we do.

As a substitute, I made homemade almond milk following this recipe.

This is the creamiest, smoothest homemade milk I have ever made.

As a byproduct of the almond milk production, I was left with gorgeous, snow white almond grounds which strongly resembled ricotta cheese.

The lights flipped on.

Vegan cheese for pizza night!

 

Fresh out of the oven (and into poor lighting.)

This week, my fresh yeast pizza dough was topped with roasted eggplant, mushrooms and tomatoes. 

Not only did this cheese substitute make a delicious pizza topping, it was equally awesome raw on my lunch salad today.

Lamb’s lettuce, cherry tomatoes, roasted eggplant and mushrooms with vegan almond herbed cheese.

Vegan Almond Herbed Cheese

Adapted from this recipe

• about 1 1/4 cups almond grounds (leftover from making almond milk)
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• juice from 1 lemon (about 2 Tbsp.)
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4-1/2 cup water, added a little at a time

Method

1. Blend all ingredients in a food processor or high-speed blender adding a little water at a time until the mixture resembles crumbled goat cheese.
2. Use the vegan cheese to top pizzas, salads, as a spread for sandwiches or as a dip.

Read Full Post »

Italian Cooking Class Day 3

I woke up this morning to another beautiful view in Umbria.

I was a little sore due to the intense yoga class last night.

I have never been to a class where the moves aren’t choreographed to music and the instructor isn’t wearing the latest fitness fashion.

The class last night was two hours of intense breathing and movements. Real yoga. I found some movements difficult but the teacher was very good at giving a helping hand.

There were about 9 other students of all ages, genders and gestational periods. (The pregnant couple was especially delightful to watch.) After the course, we were all invited to stay for dinner.

I can honestly say that last night was one of those, “I can’t believe this is my life,” kind of moments. I sat around a table with a master yogi and students from all different walks of life in a small, fire-heated room around a large table in Italy enjoying a delicious homemade Indian meal. It was wonderful. Everyone was very friendly and did their best to communicate with me. I can’t wait to go back for another lesson on Friday.

This morning I woke up still stuffed but ready for another cooking class.

On the menu for today we had two different bruschettas, artichoke rissoto, vegetable gratin and chocolate pear cake.

Yummy!

Bruschetta with Tomatoes

I found out I’ve been doing this all wrong according to traditional Italian cooking. When we asked about the balsamic vinegar, Stefania laughed at us. We were told we could add garlic, cheese, onions, even whole peppercorns if we wanted, but not vinegar!

Ingredients

• 2-3 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 handful fresh basil, torn
• olive oil to generously coat
• sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste
• Toasted bread

Method

1. Toss together the tomatoes, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper.
2. Put on top of toasted bread and enjoy!

Bruschetta with Spicy Fresh Cheese

I’ll certainly make this one to bring along to parties. Make it ahead as the flavor will only improve with a little more time.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup fresh cream cheese
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. fresh marjoram leaves
• dried chili peppers, to taste, chopped (this should be very spicy)
• salt and pepper to taste
• Toasted Bread

Method

1. Soften the cream cheese with the back of a spoon until it’s smooth. Add in the garlic, marjoram, chili peppers, salt and pepper and mix well.
2. Serve on top of toasted bread

To toast the bread, she used a very practical pan which fit over the flame of the stove. Especially in Umbria, it is common to even cook a pizza-like dish on this pan.

Artichoke Risotto

This was divine. Although preparing the artichokes took a lot of time and it wasn’t the easiest dish to toss together, it was all worth it. The taste was incredible.

Ingredients

For the Stock- “Never. Use. Cubes. Never. They will make a disaster!”

• 1 tomato, cut in half
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced in thick chunks
• 1 stalk celery
• generous amount of salt
• water

For the risotto

• 4 artichokes
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2-3 cups risotto rice
• 2 handfuls fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 handfuls grated fresh parmesan cheese

Method

For the stock

1. Place all vegetables in a large sauce pan and fill with water. Salt generously and put on medium high heat for at least 30 minutes to create a good quality stock.
2. In Italy, stock cubes will ruin a meal. I’m afraid to even say the words “stock cubes” in Italy now. Do not use them. Ever. Just take 1/2 an hour and make your stock.

Prepare the artichokes

1. Fill a large bowl with cold water and squeeze 1/2 a lemon into it. Drop the lemon in the water as well. This will help prevent the cut artichokes from becoming black.
2. Cut off the bottom of the artichoke stalk leaving about 2 cm.
3. Peel off the outside leaves until you reach the soft inner leaves. It will feel like you’re throwing away more than half of the artichoke, but that’s just the way it is. Keep peeling.
4. Cut off the top of the artichoke leaves, just above the natural groove.
5. Quarter the artichoke heart and place in the lemon water.
6. One quarter at a time, cut out and discard the hairs which are inside the artichoke. slice the artichoke into thin slices length-wise. Return slices to the lemon water.

Put it all together

1. Heat a large sauce pan over high heat. Coat the bottom with a generous amount of olive oil and add the chopped shallots along with a half ladle of stock. After a moment, add the drained artichokes and season with salt. Continue to cook until the artichokes are soft, stirring constantly.
2. Add the rice and toast until it begins to turn golden brown. Add two ladles of stock. Do not stop stirring!
3. Cook the liquid down and add another 1-2 ladles of stock, stirring the whole time to cook the liquid down.
4. Add a handful of fresh parsley, more stock and repeat the stir, cook down procedure. Continue this process until the rice is al dente. Don’t worry about the measurement of liquid. You want the rice to cook and the mixture to become creamy.
5. Remove the rice from the heat and stir in 3 Tbsp of butter and a handful of grated parmesan cheese. Stir to melt.
6. Plate the risotto, dressing with another handful of parmesan, parsley and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Let the risotto rest for a few minutes before eating.

Potato and Zucchini Layered Bake

A late autumn affair. Perfect for using up the garden remains and settling in to the warmer food of winter.

Ingredients

• 4 zucchinis, cut in small cubes
• 5 potatoes
• 1/2 large white onion, sliced thinly in half-circles
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• taleggio cheese, cubed (or another sweet, soft, fatty cheese like brie)

Method

1. Boil your potatoes, skin on, for about 15 minutes or until cooked but still slightly dense in the middle. Cool for a little while then pull off the skins. Slice into thin circles.
2. Coat the bottom of a non-stick pan with olive oil and fry the onions for a moment. Add the zucchini and flavor with salt and pepper. Continue to fry until the vegetables are soft then remove from heat.
3. Rub olive oil into the bottom and sides of a baking dish. Place a layer of potatoes (using about half) in the bottom. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
4. Top the potato layer with all the onions and zucchini. Spread the mixture evenly. Evenly distribute the cheese cubes over the zucchini mixture.
5. Top the cheese with another layer of carefully arranged potato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper then drizzle with olive oil. Gently massage the olive oil into the potato layer.
6. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 40-45 minutes.

  

Chocolate Pear Cake

I still have this to eat. I was so full by this point that I only took a couple of bites. Let me tell you, this cake is so moist it’s almost fudgy. It’s not too sweet and is really quite light.

Ingredients

• 80 grams room temperature butter
• 70 grams sugar
• 2 room temperature eggs, yolk and white separated
• 1 cup milk plus more as needed
• 140 grams flour
• 80 grams coco powder
• 16 grams baking powder
• 4 hard pears, peeled, cored and chopped into cubes
• powdered sugar

Method

1. Soften the butter using the back of a spoon until it becomes soft and silky. Beat the sugar and butter together until creamy using an electric mixer.
2. Beat in one yolk at a time to the butter mixture. Repeat with the second yolk.
3. Sift together the dry ingredients, flour, coco powder and baking powder.
4. Place half of the dry mixture and half of the milk into the butter mixture. Beat together. Repeat with the remaining dry mixture and milk, adding more milk if needed to reach a thick batter.
5. Make a meringue with the 2 egg whites and a bit of sugar. Stir half of the meringue into the batter.
6. Carefully fold the remaining meringue into the batter.
7. Pour the batter over your pears and mix to combine.
8. Wet a piece of parchment paper and then squeeze out the excess liquid. Shape the paper into a spring-form pan and place the cake batter inside. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 1 hour.
9. Remove from the oven, cool and dust with powdered sugar before serving.

 I think this will be my midnight snack!

It was another great day of cooking and eating in Italy.

After taking a nap this afternoon, we went to a wonderful winery… but that will have to wait for another post!

Read Full Post »

Italian Cooking Class Day 2

Sweet pepper bruschetta, gnocchi with fresh tomato sauce, pork loin in a grape gravy and crostata tart were on the menu for today’s lunch.

The cooking started at 9:30 this morning and by 1:00, I couldn’t move.

The instructor is a genius at organizing what needs to be done when to put an entire meal together at just the right time.

Again, her resounding words for today were, “Italians like it simple. Good produce, few ingredients, not too much time. It’s easy!”

Sweet Pepper Bruschetta

This appetizer had a wonderfully strong flavor. Great combination.

Ingredients

• 3 cups sweet green peppers (look like jalapeños) , sliced in rings with the seeds
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• 2 anchovies
• 2-4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• water as needed to retain moisture
• big pinch of salt
• day-old bread, sliced thinly
• breadcrumbs

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add the sliced garlic and cook for a minute. Add the anchovies and smash them into the hot oil until they melt and disintegrate.
2. Put the prepared peppers and salt into the pan and continue to cook, adding water as necessary to keep the mixture moist. Cook for about 7 minutes then pour in the vinegar and continue to cook until the peppers are soft.
3. Drizzle a baking dish with olive oil and place about 3 slices of bread on top. Spread the pepper mixture on the bread and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake in a hot oven for about 10-15 minutes.

Gnocchi

I have always loved gnocchi, but that love was unfounded. The love I have for this recipe is the real deal. These gnocchi were like smooth little pillows in my mouth. Indescribable, really.

Ingredients

• 1 large, old potato per person
• all-purpose flour in the proportion 1/3 of amount of potatoes
• salt

Method

1. Boil your potatoes with the skin on. Once the skin splits open, you know the potatoes are done. You want them to be soft but not soaking up the water.
2. Pull the skin off of the potatoes and smash with a potato press. Spread the potatoes out on a wooden board and allow to cool completely before moving on.
3. Eyeball the flour using about 1/3 the amount of flour as you have potatoes.
4. Very gently knead the potatoes and flour together, being very careful not to smash the mixture or stretch it out. The method is a gentle, push in from the sides kind of knead.
5. Once the dough is in a compact ball, cut off a small handful of dough and roll into a long snake, about the width of your finger.
6. Cut the gnocchi with a sharp, non-serrated knife about the width of your thumb. Roll the little pieces in flour and set aside, not allowing the pieces to touch one another.
7. Continue rolling, cutting, dusting and setting aside until all the dough is prepared.
8. Boil a pot of water and add a small handful of salt. Yes, a handful.
9. Drop the gnocchi in the boiling water and wait a few minutes for the pasta to rise to the top. Using a wire mesh slotted spoon, pull out the floating gnocchi and put directly into prepared tomato sauce.

Garlic Tomato Sauce

This is the simplest and the best tasting tomato sauce I’ve ever eaten. Why do we make things so complicated?

I’m starting to see that less is more.

Ingredients

• 6-8 ripe tomatoes, quartered
• 3 cloves garlic
• lots of olive oil
• lots of salt
• fresh basil
• 2 handfuls fresh grated parmesan cheese

Method

1. Cook the tomatoes in a large sauce pan over medium heat for 15 minutes.
2. Strain the tomatoes, skin, seeds and all in a tomato crusher gadget with a crank handle. The sauce will drip out below.
3. Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan over high heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add the tomato sauce and a huge pinch of salt.
4. Reduce the heat, put a wooden spoon across he pan and set the lid on top. Keeping the lid cracked allows the sauce to condense more slowly, creating a better flavor. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in a handful of parmesan cheese.
5. Add the gnocchi and toss to cover. Do not stir the gnocchi or it will break! Rip up a handful of fresh basil and toss in as well.
6. Plate the pasta and sprinkle with even more parmesan.

Pork Loin with Grapes

 Although I didn’t eat this one, it was interesting to see how it was made. The smell was fantastic. I did taste the grape sauce and it was superb. If you eat meat, certainly give this one a try.

Ingredients

• 1 pork loin
• cooking twine
• salt and pepper
• 10 juniper pods
• 3 bay leaves, torn
• olive oil
• 4 shallots, quartered and pulled apart
• 2-3 cups green grapes, cut in half
• 1/2 cup dry white wine, divided

Method

1. Tightly wrap the loin with twine. Sprinkle a generous amount of sea salt and fresh black pepper over the entire loin. Drizzle with olive oil and massage the meat. The instructor said not to be afraid of salt, pork absorbs what it needs and leaves the rest.
2. Coat the bottom of a wide sauce pan with olive oil. Heat over high heat and add the shallots, crushed juniper, bay leaves and 1/4 cup white wine. Cook until the alcohol has evaporated, constantly moving the shallots.
3. Add the loin to the pan and braise until the meat is sealed on all sides, do not brown. Add another 1/4 cup of white wine and cook the mixture down.
4. Add the grapes, reduce the heat to medium low and cover to cook. Use the wooden spoon trick again, propping the lid open a bit allowing steam to release.
5. Make sure the mixture remains moist. If it starts to dry, either smash the grapes or add a bit of water.
6. Continue to cook on the stove top for 40-45 minutes, turning the meat regularly, allowing it to brown and stirring the sauce.
7. Wrap the cooked meat in aluminum foil and let rest for at least 15 minutes.
8. Remove the bay leaves from the sauce. Pour the remaining ingredients into the same contraption used to smash the tomatoes. Crank the ingredients through and serve with the sliced pork.

Since I don’t eat meat, I was served an extra dish of baked smoked mozzarella with bread and olive oil.

A radicchio salad dressed with balsamic and olive oil was also served.

Jam Crostata

 This is a beautiful, rustic looking desert that was simple to make and tasted fantastic.

Ingredients

• 250 g. all-purpose flour
• 80 g. sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 100 g. very cold butter, cut into tiny cubes
• 1 egg and 1 egg yolk
• 1 jar of jam, we used pear
• powdered sugar for dusting

Method

1. Mix together the flour, sugar and baking powder. Add the butter to the mixture. Working very quickly and with cold hands, begin at one edge of the bowl and work your way across crushing the butter and flour mixture together with your finger tips.
2. Lightly whisk the egg and yolk together and our into the mixture.
3. Use the side of the bowl to knead the egg into the mixture. Compact the mixture into a very tight ball and cover with plastic wrap. Put in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
4. Take a large piece of parchment paper and lightly dust it. Cut off 2/3 of the dough and put in the middle of the paper, dust the ball with flour and cover with two pieces of plastic wrap.
5. Working from the middle out, roll the dough until it is larger than your pastry dish. Remove the plastic wrap and place the dough, parchment paper and all, into your tart dish. Push the dough into the dish and cut off the remaining edges.
6. Spread your jam evenly into the dish, making sure to get every little groove covered with jam.
7. Roll out the remaining 1/3 of the dough. Cut the dough into 1 inch side strips and lay three strips across your pastry. Lay another 3 strips the other direction creating a tic-tac-toe design.
8. Cut another strip of pastry and begin to pinch it around the edge of your pastry. Continue your way around until there is a lovely border of pastry around the whole dish.
9. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 20-25 minutes.
10. Remove from the oven and let cool. Before serving, dust the pastry with powdered sugar.

Even though I ate 7 hours ago, I still feel stuffed. Hopefully a little yoga will help.

I asked the owner of where I’m staying if there is any place to do yoga near by. I thought it was a long shot as this place is in the middle of nowhere, but it just so happens that there’s a studio at the bottom of the hill. I walked down this afternoon and met not only a yoga teacher, but a master Yogi from India.

We enjoyed a cup of chai tea together and had a really nice chat. He invited me back for a lesson between 8-10 tonight and then to stay for dinner as well with the other students.

I’m excited but also a bit nervous since I’ve never done “real” yoga before. I’ll let you know how it goes! Wish me luck!

Read Full Post »