Saturday, June 24, 2017

ITALIAN TUNA MELT PANINI

I posted a recipe for a Tuna Melt in Izetta's Southern Cooking blog, so I decided to make an Italian Tuna Melt. If you use Kalamata olives and Greek kasseri cheese, it would be a Greek tuna melt. Serve this with a bowl of soup and you have a delicious meal. Did you know that one Italian sandwich is a Panino and two or more are Panini?



2 Italian rolls or Italian bread cut into 6 to 8 inches in length.

Lemon Aioli
½ cup mayonnaise
Zest and juice of a ½ medium lemon 
1 t Dijon mustard
1 small clove garlic, pushed through a garlic press
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lemon zest, juice, mustard, and garlic.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to prepare sandwiches.

Black Olive Tapenade
1 cup black Italian Gaeta olives, pitted and chopped
¼ cup  chopped Italian parsley
¼ cup chopped red onion
3 anchovies, smashed (optional)
Zest and juice of a ½ medium lemon
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Mix all together in a medium bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to prepare sandwiches.

Tuna Salad
1 5-oz can solid white tuna, in oil or water, drained
¼ cup diced roasted red bell peppers 
¼ cup drained capers
2 T chopped Italian parsley
Juice of ½ medium lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 T extra-virgin olive oil

Mix all together in a medium bowl and set aside.

4 slices Provolone cheese
Arugula
Shaved or thinly sliced fennel

Cut bread in half, lengthwise and spread top and bottom of each sandwich with Lemon Aioli.
Add some Tuna Salad to the bottom half.
Layer on 2 slices of Provolone cheese and place under the broiler for about 1 minute, to just melt the cheese but do not brown.
Spread some Black Olive Tapenade on top.
Add a little arugula and shaved fennel on top of tapenade and top with the other slice of bread.

Cut in half and serve.

Serves 2 to 4

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

LEMON-RICOTTA-BLUEBERRY PANCAKES

Lemon juice and zest give the pancakes a citrus zing. Ricotta cheese gives the pancakes a fluffy texture. Blueberries give the pancakes a traditional fruity flavor...for a perfect Sunday morning breakfast.




1 cup all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
½ t baking soda
Pinch of fine sea salt

½ cup whole milk

½ cup ricotta cheese
2 T unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 T honey

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.


In another bowl, whisk together the milk, ricotta, melted butter, egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, and honey.


Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the milk mixture.
Gently whisk together being careful not to over mix, the batter should be slightly lumpy. Set batter aside for 15 minutes.

Heat griddle and brush lightly with some oil.


Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.


Using a ¼ cup measure or an ice cream scoop, pour batter in pools, 2 inches apart.


Keep pancakes warm in the oven while cooking the rest.



Makes 14 to 16 pancakes

Saturday, June 10, 2017

COOKBOOK AVAILABLE ON MY WEBSITE AND AMAZON.


Wednesday, June 7, 2017

OVEN ROASTED ASPARAGUS & CREMINI MUSHROOMS

This is an easy way to make a delicious and healthy vegetable dish. It's on the table in less than 30 minutes, from start to finish.


1 lb asparagus, trimmed
10 to 12 cremini mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed, and thickly sliced
1 shallot, diced
1 T extra-light olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t fresh or freeze-dried thyme leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 T unsalted butter, melted
Zest and juice of ½ lemon

Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place the asparagus, mushrooms, and shallot on a baking sheet,
Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle on the garlic and thyme leaves. 
Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
Place in oven and roast for 15 to 18 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the lemon zest and juice.

Transfer asparagus and mushrooms to a warm serving platter and drizzle with the melted butter mixture.
Add 4 lemon wedges and serve.

Serves 4

Sunday, June 4, 2017

ITALIAN GREYHOUNDS

This cocktail was first served at Greyhound's restaurant chain that was located in their bus terminals, called "Post House". This cocktail is the Italian version because of the addition of Campari and rosemary. It's a refreshing spring and summer drink.


2 t granulated sugar
1 T grated grapefruit zest
4 oz vodka                             
8 oz grapefruit juice
1 oz Campari
Grapefruit wedges, for garnish
Rosemary sprigs, for garnish

Pour sugar into a little shallow bowl. 
Grate grapefruit with a zester and set aside on a cutting board to dry out briefly.

In a pitcher, add the vodka, grapefruit juice, and Campari and mix to combine.

Make a slit in a grapefruit wedge with a knife and run it around the rim of two cocktail glasses.

Add grapefruit zest to the sugar and mix to combine.
Dip glass rims into the sugar mixture then fill with ice cubes.

Pour in the cocktail mixture and garnish with a grapefruit wedge and a sprig of rosemary.

Makes 2 drinks