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    Sunday, March 08, 2009

    More Toppings for Bruschetta and Don't Waste That Cabbage

    Two more toppings for Bruschetta
    Friday we ate Italian at our local, Portofino, which is our favourite
    Eatery in Parnell.
    I had Spaghettie alle Vongole with some yummy garlic pizza bread.
    Dale had pizza.
    So dinner was just a light salad.

    Saturday dawned and out for lunch again.
    This time Prego in Ponsonby… another excellent Italian restaurant.
    Lasagne for me
    Snapper on Risotto for Dale.
    So we didn’t get our Bruschetta for lunch.
    But that’s OK.
    I was really keen on this Shrimp recipe from my friend Mario.
    (Sorry I don’t mean to be pretentious, but I feel I know him)
    He ate this in a seafood trattoria in Atrani called da Zaccaria
    It was a topping for Bruschetta but we had had enough bread for the day.
    Instead I served it on potato slices, sitting on a green salad.
    Succulent and really tasty. Loved the addition of Limoncello.
    Sweet and tangy at the same time.
    For two people
    1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
    2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
    As many shrimp as you can eat peeled and deveined
    Juice and zest of 1 lemon
    50 mls Limoncello
    1/2 cup white wine

    2 medium potato boiled and cut into 1/4 slices
    1 spring onion sliced thinly or chives
    Salad greens
    Zest of lemon for garnish

    In a sauté pan heat olive oil over medium heat until just smoking
    Add garlic toss quickly cook until it turns light brown
    Add shrimp and cook without turning for 2-3 minutes until pink
    Turn shrimp over and cook for 1 minute

    Transfer the shrimp to a plate
    Add lemon juice, zest, Limoncello and wine to the pan and bring to boil

    Boil sauce about 3-4 minutes

    To serve lay salad greens on plate
    Layer potatoes then
    Shrimp
    Pour over juices
    And garnish with zest and spring onion or chives

    Sunday
    Now this is a signature dish from Mario’s restaurant in New York, Po
    White Bean Bruschetta
    Couldn’t be easier and really tasty

    1 cup cooked Cannellini Beans (I used canned, rinsed and drained)
    2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
    1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
    2 tablespoon fresh basil leaves cut in thin strips
    1 clove garlic think sliced
    Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

    1/4 inch slices of country bread toasted
    Slices prosciutto for garnish

    In a mixing bowl gently stir together
    Beans, Extra virgin olive oil Olive oil
    Balsamic, Chili flakes basil and garlic.
    Season to taste

    Leave to sit about an hour for the flavours to meld
    Spoon over toasted bread place a slice of prosciutto and devour.
    It is still really good the next day (in fact, finished it off today.)
    I was reading the excellent blog Chocolate and Zucchini
    Written by Clotilde
    Like Clotilde, (check out this post) I too had a cabbage in the fridge, it had been there for a while.
    I have to cook this… so I removed the outer leaves and of course underneath was lovely moist crisp cabbage. Those outer leaves are a great protector.

    I also had a butternut squash so emptying the fridge was a good option.
    I made an interesting Honeyed Squash and Goat’s Cheese Salad
    a while ago and took my inspiration from that
    Didn’t have any grapes, so I used mango and I also added a lovely little red chili from my friend Debbie’s garden

    2 cups sliced cabbage
    Vinaigrette
    5 tablespoons olive oil
    2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
    1 large teaspoon Dijon mustard
    Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

    With a fork whip mustard and vinegar and then stir in olive oil, season to taste

    Blanch cabbage just a minute or two,
    cool and dress with vinaigrette


    1 x Butternut Squash
    2 tablespoons Olive oil
    1 chili finely chopped
    Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1

    1/2 mango
    2 tablespoons pine nuts lightly toasted
    Knob butter
    1 tablespoon honey
    1 tomato seeded and sliced
    75 gms feta crumbled
    Parsley finely chopped



    Peel and cube butternut squash
    Toss with olive oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper and chili
    Bake in 180C oven for about 20 minutes until soft

    Add butter, honey, tomato and pine nuts
    Toss lightly

    To plate
    Add cabbage salad
    Top with butternut mix and crumble feta on top
    Sprinkle parsley to finish.

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