food, photography, italy
I think the sweet flavor of this vegetable really shines in velvety soups like this one….
The cold weather’s finally kicked in and I celebrated its arrival by indulging a liiiittle too much in comfort food…I’m talking about all those Northern Italian hearty dishes I missed so much last year, when I was in Florida. Cooking or eating polenta, frico con le patate, or salame con l’aceto in hot and humid weather just didn’t feel right. Some dishes are meant to be eaten when it’s cold out — which reminds me of that time when I ordered a soupe a l’oignon in a restaurant in Paris on a particularly hot summer night. I’m not sure how my friend Raina was able to keep her composure in front of my regretful and sweat-dripping face.
The other day, in an effort to satisfy my body’s cravings for a leaner type of meal, I made this tasty warm farro bowl, grilling some of the vegetables I had at home: carrots, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, broccoli, onion, and some pretty long, thin and purple eggplants (similar to Chinese eggplants). Farro is a type of grain whose nutty and hearty flavor make it an ideal base for seasonal fall salads. I love its satisfying texture — I’ll trade any quinoa salad for a farro one any day of the week!…
I want a little helper. Somebody who’s tech-savvy and patient enough to save my cell and computer’s memories from exploding on me – I’d like all files transferred & copied on multiple devices and not on a cloud, thankyouverymuch. That’s priority #1. THEN, it would be so darling if he/she could recover all my old photos from my crashed external hard drive – that’d be like a huge patch on my broken little heart. It definitely wouldn’t hurt if my little helper happened to be a web designer with great social media skills….
A few weeks ago, I was leaving the house to go to yoga practice when my mom called me to let me know the family was harvesting potatoes. I drove to our patch of land and saw that my uncles and aunts were all there, bending over the freshly plowed soil to pick up the potatoes my dad had planted last spring. I’m not sure whether or not I was looking for an excuse to skip yoga (I’m terrible at finding motivation to work out) but I love being together with my family for things like this – that is, working to harvest fruits and vegetables we will all enjoy for many months to come. So I went back home, dropped the mat and towel, grabbed my camera and rushed back to the potato patch….
Considering figs are one of my favorite fruits, I can’t believe I went two full years without having one. This summer I can finally pick them directly from the tree and eat them as many as my belly can take! Having direct access to fruits and vegetables is just priceless. Spending time with my mom and taking care of her garden has offered lots of rewards that well outbalance the outrageous amount of mosquito bites I collected on my legs and the early wake-ups to water the garden.
Lots of figs = 2 delicious recipes!
#1 is a delicious and easy appetizer made of soft and creamy burrata with fresh figs, simply tossed with lemon, olive oil, and a bit of salt. A drizzle of balsamic glaze brings together this amazing combo.
#2 is a super-pretty crostata made of a delicate crust and a tender almond filling (frangipane), on top of which I arranged small and perfectly ripe figs. To further enhance the almond flavor, I added a bit of Amaretto di Saronno. YUM.
Are you excited? Me too! This is my way to reward you for the long wait since my last recipe.
Enjoy the bountiful fig harvest!
QUICK BURRATA AND FIGS APPETIZER
(Inspired from April Bloomfield Figs with Balsamic Vinegar and Mozzarella)
Serves: 4 | Prep time: 20 min
INGREDIENTS
350 g burrata cheese, room temperature
8-10 figs, cut in quarters
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (better if Aceto Balsamico di Modena)
the juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp honey
salt
extra-virgin olive oil
few sprigs of thyme
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Break burrata cheese with your hands and arrange it on a serving plate.
2. In a separate bowl, gently toss figs with salt, lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil. Mix gently.
3. In a very small pot, pour 1/4 balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon of honey. Let boil for 15 minutes, until vinegar is reduced to 1/2.
4. Arrange dressed figs on the plate with the burrata cheese. With a spoon or a brush, drizzle some balsamic reduction on figs and burrata. Sprinkle some thyme and serve.
ALMOND AND FIG CROSTATA
Serves: 8-10 | Prep time: 1 hr and 30 min | Cook time: 40 min
INGREDIENTS
Short Pastry Dough (slightly adapted from Luca Montersino‘s recipe)
8.8 oz (250 g) flour
2/3 cup (11 Tbsp + 1 tsp OR 150 g) unsalted cold butter, cubed
3.5 oz (100 g) powdered sugar
1.4 oz (40 g) eggs (that’s about one egg)
the zest of 1 lemon
the seeds of 1/4 vanilla bean
a small pinch of salt
Frangipane
3.5 oz (100 g) almonds, toasted and then ground
3.5 oz (100 g) powdered sugar
3.5 oz (100 g) unsalted butter
3.5 oz (100 g) eggs, lightly beaten
1.6 oz (45 g) flour, sifted
1 Tbsp Amaretto di Saronno
8 small figs, cut in quarter
1 regular size fig, cut
INSTRUCTIONS
Short pastry dough
1. Sift flour on a clean surface. Form a wide well in the center and, keeping away from the flour borders, add cubed butter, eggs, salt, vanilla bean, lemon zest and powdered sugar. Work with your fingertips the ingredients in the center, without touching the flour on the sides. Once all the inner ingredients are well mixed, bring in the flour and work the dough until smooth and uniform. Be careful not to overwork it.
2. Form a disk and place it inside a folded sheet of parchment paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Frangipane
1. Using a stand mixer, mix butter and powdered sugar until you obtain a creamy and fluffy mixture.
2. Add beaten eggs slowly. Add grounded almonds, flour, and Amaretto liqueur. Mix well and set aside.
Final assembly
1. Turn oven to 360°F
2. Butter and flour a 9-inch (24 cm) wide tart pan.
3. Roll out dough with a rolling pin and line tart pan with it. Trim dough in excess from the pan borders. Spread frangipane mixture inside the tart shell to cover the whole surface.
4. On top of the frangipane, arrange figs, cut-side up, in circle.
5. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until the crust is golden and the frangipane has risen.
6. Remove tart from the oven and let it cool. Dust with powdered sugar and serve
When summer comes around, zucchini blossoms are among the most exciting veggies you can find at the local farmer’s market or in the produce aisle of a grocery store. I picked the ones you see featured in this post from my mom’s garden. I gotta say, if they didn’t spoil so quickly, they’d make a nice little bouquet! Not only are they beautiful, they also make a sweet and colorful addition to a risotto or a pasta dish.
Zucchini blossoms can be enjoyed in so many ways, but “their best death”, as Italians say, is in the frying pan – you’ll get a nice, crispy, sweet, and delicate fritter. Some people like to add sugar to the batter… I personally like to skip the extra sugar and add, instead, a final sprinkle of salt to contrast their natural sweet flavor.
They’re perfect as appetizer or side dish. If you want to splurge, stuff them with a little piece of mozzarella before you dredge them in batter and fry them. Then remember to thank me.
