Chef Riccardo's Taste of the Garden: Fried Squash Blossoms

During my recent trip to Italy, I saw something colorful and interesting in the veggie section of the town's supermarket: vivid orange and green squash blossoms! I asked, "How does anyone except a rabbit or horse eat those??" Chef Riccardo answered my question with a marvelous recipe for Fried Squash Blossom appetizers.

You'll need:
About 20 zucchini blossoms
Olive Oil
a small jar of anchovies

and a thin batter made from:

about a cup of finely milled white flour (00)
about 2/3 cup of carbonated mineral water, very cold
One whole egg
One tablespoon olive oil
a pinch of salt
Beat all ingredients together and keep chilled.

The secret to light and fluffy fried blossoms is the carbonated, chilled water. Once you've blended the batter ingredients, keep that batter cold.

Remove the stems and all tough, green parts from the blossoms.

Open each flower on one side so it can lie flat. Then put one anchovy in the center of each flower and roll them up. Yes, anchovies, I know, I don't usually care for them either, but trust me, they are delicious prepared this way!

Now that you have a series of "squash blossom burritos", you can dip them gently in the chilled batter and fry them on medium heat in olive oil in a frying pan, just a minute or two on each side:

Transfer the fried blossoms onto paper towels to drain, then serve and eat! Absolutely delicious. Thank you, Chef Riccardo!

Squash Blossom Appetizers by Chef Riccardo, 2015

Back From Italy With New Posts Soon!

I've just returned from Italy and I was so inspired by the native flora and the extraordinary gardens that I'll be posting quite a bit in the next month or so. And Chef Riccardo is returning with an unusual and tasty recipe

MRobb, Bouganvillea, Italy, Sept 2015

featuring squash blossoms and anchovies. Yup, you read that right, and it's delicious. See you back here soon!

Weekend Walkabout With Chef Riccardo

My beaches are way too hot for walking this weekend; by mid-morning, the sand scorches my poor bare feet. Not into that! So for the Weekend Walkabout I asked Chef Riccardo, an avid hill walker,  what he has been up to in Northern Italy. Here's the photo he sent:

"Camosci", Riccardo Senettin, 2015

Beautiful! These charming herbivores (Rupicapra rupicapra) of the Alps are called Chamois, or Gams in German, or Camosci in Italian. A fun fact: adult chamois can jump 2m in the air, and 6m in distance. They live in herds of up to 100 individuals, mostly females and young, as shown here. The males tend to a more solitary existence. Some subspecies are now protected in Europe, and that's a good thing. Have a wonderful weekend walkabout in your neck of the woods!

Chef Riccardo's Taste of the Garden: Pumpkin Soup

Chef Riccardo knows his way around a soup pot, and my favorite of his recipes is one he made for me every autumn: Pumpkin Soup.  This is a very hearty, delicious dish best served with crusty artisan bread, and a few sprigs of fresh dill. It's an Italian specialty:

1 kg fresh pumpkin

2 potatoes

2 leeks

1 onion

Nutmeg

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Peel and cube the pumpkin and potatoes and  boil in 2 litres of water, chicken, or vegetable broth until soft. Blend or puree the broth when cool. Fry the washed and chopped leeks and onion in olive oil with salt and pepper to taste. Add to the pumpkin broth.  Heat gently and add a bit of nutmeg. Stir in ½ cup of cream. Serve with shaved parmesan and a little drizzled olive oil. Eat with your favorite type of crusty bread.

Pumpkin Soup

Of course, down here in the Tropics we add a dash of habanero sauce, but I think that may be an aquired taste. ;-)

Thank you, Chef Riccardo, for a wonderful and warming autumn recipe!

Chef Riccardo

Chef Riccardo's Taste of the Garden: Herbed Fish With Olives

For those participating in Lent, and for pescatarians in general, Chef Riccardo has created a wonderful herbed fish dish. It takes only a few minutes to prepare, 20 minutes to bake, and is extremely healthy and low-calorie. When I made it last week at my house, it was gone in less than 5 minutes. Hmm...25 minutes of effort on my part, 5 minutes of effort for my guests. Doesn't seem fair somehow.... Anyway, here it is!


1 sea bream already cleaned (about 800 g), or black sea bass or tilapia fillets.
the filtered juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons of dried Provencal herbs and chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, basil, thyme, savory, marjoram)
2 cloves of garlic
100 g black olives
1 bay leaf
some parsley
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

 

Some key ingredients: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, dried herbs, fresh herbs, garlic, and black olives.

Wash the sea bream (or black sea bass or tilapia fillets), passing it under cold running water. Pat dry. Place the fish in a large dish and sprinkle it with lemon juice, salt, and pepper outside and inside, then sprinkle with the herbs. Peel the garlic and chop coarsely.
Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400F). Pour a tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of an oval baking dish and arrange the fish; drizzle with the remaining oil, add the black olives,  chopped garlic, and bay leaf.
Bake for about 20 minutes, then serve the fish on the table directly from the pan, garnished with some parsley. 

The finished dish: Herbed Fish With Olives

I'm going to be making this once a week, it's so healthy and delicious. Thank you, Chef Riccardo!

Note: For those folk who want to use only healthy, sustainably caught fish in their recipes, here is a great resource that I use constantly, Seafood Watch.
http://www.seafoodwatch.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_recommendations.aspx

Chef Riccardo's Taste of the Garden: Vegetable Strudel

Chef Riccardo's back with a fragrant and tasty veggie strudel for the end of winter. Vegetable strudel is surprisingly easy to make and is a great dish to take to a party or potluck. Here's how:

Ingredients
1 eggplant  (about 380 gm), peeled and cubed
1 medium carrot, grated
1 zucchini (about 150 gm), chopped coarsely
Sweet red peppers (about 200 gm), chopped
1 small onion, chopped  
½ c chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained thoroughly
10 white mushrooms, sliced
a handful of cherry or grape tomatoes
1 slice fresh ginger

1 box of frozen puff pastry (in a rectangular sheet, not cups), or filo/phyllo dough, thawed.

Saute’ the onion and ginger in the olive oil in a large shallow pan for a few minutes.  Add the vegetables and saute’ for 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, remove the ginger slice, then transfer the vegetables to a plate and let them cool.

Line a baking pan with baking parchment, or grease well, and place the pastry rectangle on it. Add the filling to the center section and roll up into a cylinder. Make about 5 cuts in the top so steam can escape, and seal the ends of the cylinder.

Bake the strudel at 200 degrees C, or 400F for 30-35 minutes or until the strudel is well browned. Remove from oven, let cool, cut into slices and serve warm or cold.

Note: Fresh seasonal veggies can be substituted for any of the above veggies, in equal quantity.
½ c. cubes of soft cheese like Monterey Jack can be added to the filling when you roll up the strudel.

Happy Cooking!

Chef Riccardo

Chef Riccardo's Taste of the Garden: Herbed Pumpkin Risotto

As much as I love winter, I loathe cold and flu season. It's not too bad here in the subtropics, but even we got hit by the Polar Vortex. Now many of us delicate subtropicals (for example, me!) are coming down with something snuffly....

Chef Riccardo comes to the rescue with a warming pumpkin risotto flavored with sage, thyme, and ginger, wonderful healing herbs for this time of year. The recipe will be in both English and Italian.


INGREDIENTS

400 g pumpkin/ calabaza (about ¾ lb)
2 shallots
4 sage leaves
4 sprigs of thyme
a slice of fresh ginger
2 liters of vegetable broth  (2 quarts, but you might not use it all.)
2 T of extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
100 ml dry white wine  (about 1/3 c.)
320 g of arborio rice (1 and ½ c.)
40 g of grated Parmesan cheese  (1/3 c.)
20 gr butter  (1/4 stick)

Arborio Rice, White and Brown

Shallots, Pumpkin/Calabaza, and Ginger Root

PREPARATION

Wash the pumpkin under  cold water and cut in half. Remove the seeds and strings with a spoon. Cut into small, 1cm cubes and peel.
Peel the shallots and chop fine.
Wash the sage and thyme. Wrap the thyme sprigs among the sage leaves and tie tightly with kitchen twine or thread.
Heat the broth.
Place the shallots in a soup pot with the oil, and sauté until golden. Add the pumpkin, a pinch of salt, bouquet garni, and pepper.  Stir and cook for a couple of minutes on high heat. 

Add the white wine, stir and let it evaporate.
Add the rice and saute it for a minute, stirring continuously.
Add 3-4 scoops of hot broth slowly, and set the timer according to the minutes of cooking the type of rice you are using (usually 15-18 minutes). Do not put the lid on the pot, keep it open. Medium heat is best.

Continue adding scoops of the broth as it is absorbed, stirring occasionally, without letting the mixture get too dry or too soupy.  You may not need all the broth.  Taste the rice now and then and stop adding broth when it is “al dente”. When done, turn off the heat, add the butter and Parmesan cheese, mix well and let stand a minute.  Inhale and be transported!
Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese and sage leaves. 

This risotto is delicious with red pears!

 And now for the Italian:

Il risotto alla zucca è un primo piatto a base di riso dal sapore molto particolare e delicato, dato dal suo ingrediente principale, la zucca, esaltato dal sapore del Parmigiano utilizzato per mantecare.

Il risotto alla zucca può essere un ottimo piatto unico, seguito da un contorno e da frutta fresca di stagione, magari una pera gustata con qualche scaglia di Parmigiano.

INGREDIENTI

400 g di zucca (peso netto della polpa)
2 scalogno
4 foglie di salvia
4 rametti di timo
Poco di zenzero (ginger)
2 l di Brodo vegetale
2cucchiaio di olio extravergine di oliva
Sale
Pepe nero macinato al momento
100 ml di vino bianco secco
320 g di riso
40 g di Parmigiano Reggiano grattugiato
20 gr.di burro

PREPARAZIONE

Lavare la zucca sotto acqua fresca corrente e tagliarla a metà. Eliminare i semi e i filamenti aiutandosi con un cucchiaio. Tagliarla a pezzetti e sbucciarla. Dai pezzetti ricavati ottenere dei cubetti di un centimetro di lato.
Spellare lo scalogno e tritarlo finemente.
Lavare bene le foglie di salvia e il timo. Avvolgere il rametto di timo fra le foglie di salvia e legarle strettamente con dello spago da cucina.
Scaldare il brodo.
Mettere in una pentola da minestra l'olio, lo scalogno tritato e farlo dolcemente dorare. Unire la zucca, un pizzico di sale, il mazzetto aromatico, una macinata di pepe, mescolare e far insaporire per un paio di minuti su fiamma vivace.
Unire il vino bianco, mescolare e far evaporare.
Aggiungere il riso e farlo tostare un minuto mescolando di continuo.
Unire 3-4 mestoli di brodo bollente e impostare il timer secondo i minuti di cottura del tipo di riso che si sta usando (solitamente 15-18 minuti).
Continuare unendo il brodo man mano che viene assorbito, mescolando di tanto in tanto, senza lasciare che il composto si asciughi troppo, altrimenti cuocerebbe male ed in modo discontinuo.
A fine cottura spegnere il fuoco, unire il burro il Parmigiano grattugiato, mescolare bene e lasciare riposare un minuto.
Servire decorando con scaglie di Parmigiano e foglie di salvia.

Enjoy and stay warm!