Happy July 4th!

Edgartown, Massahusetts-on the island of Martha’s Vineyard-a place I would love to celebrate the 4th, but I’m sure it’s way too crowded! I’m happy to walk this street in the fall when it’s empty.

Gotta Love A Good Burger

If I was told that I had to stop eating meat, the one thing that I couldn’t give up is hamburgers. I don’t know if it’s because it’s such an integral part of our American culinary heritage or if it’s that combination of meat and toppings on a toasted bun, but I do know it’s one of my favorite meals. I’m pretty much of a burger purist. I don’t need a lot of exotic toppings. I’m happy with good cheddar cheese, slivered red onion, lettuce and tomatoes and ketchup. We’re lucky to be able to barbeque outside all year long so whenever the mood strikes, I fire up the grill and make burgers.

Today I decided to try the Turkey Burger on the cover of the August issue of Bon Appetit. I was drawn to this recipe because of the Moroccan-spiced aioli that is first mixed in to the ground turkey and then used as a topping for the finished burger. The smokiness of the paprika combined with the toasted cumin and coriander seeds made the aioli the perfect enhancement for ground turkey, which tends to be leaner and not quite as flavorful as ground beef.

Grilled Turkey Burgers with Cheddar and Smoky Aioli

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1-1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 pound ground dark meat turkey (which I couldn’t find at my market)
4 thick slices red onion
1 large red bell pepper, quartered
4 slices white cheddar cheese
4 sesame-seed hamburger buns
Arugula

Toast cumin and coriander seeds in a small skillet over medium-high heat until aromatic and slightly darker in color, shaking skillet often, about 1-1/2 minutes. Cool. Finely grind toasted seeds in spice grinder or with mortar and pestle. Whisk mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, smoked paprika, garlic and ground spices in a small bowl. Season aioli to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made and refrigerated one day ahead).

Place turkey in a medium bowl and add 2 tablespoons aioli and gently mix. Divide turkey into four equal portions and form into patties. Season with salt and pepper. Brush onion slices and red pepper pieces with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat grill to medium-high. Grill onions and peppers until soft and charred, about 4 minutes.

Grill turkey burgers 5 minutes, then turn and grill until almost cooked through, about another 4 minutes. Top with a slice of cheese and cook until cheese melts, about another minute. Place burger on bun and top with grilled onion, pepper, a dollop of aioli and some arugula. Enjoy!

Want To Cook For Me?

If you’ve spent any time at all on my blog, you know that I love to cook. It’s an integral part of my life and where some people dread cooking for themselves and their family, I look forward to planning our meals, shopping for them and inviting friends over to enjoy them with us. Being in the kitchen relaxes me and brings me joy. As soon as one meal is over, I start thinking about the next. Maybe it’s an Italian thing, as I know my mother is exactly the same way.

One of the downsides of being a passionate cook is that it’s not always easy to get an invitation over to anyone else’s house for dinner. Friends hem and haw and say they don’t know what they would cook for me. I am quick to tell them that I would just love to come over and anything would be fine-hamburgers, hot dogs, whatever! I am not fussy and contrary to the belief of some “family members”, I am not fancy either. Just have us to dinner and we will be happy to be in your home.

Luckily, we do have some friends who also are enthusiastic about cooking and entertaining and they are not afraid to have us over. Earlier this week we were happy to be invited out to dinner for a delicious meal at a friend’s house. I can’t begin to tell you what a treat is it for me to sit down to a meal that someone else lovingly cooked! To top it off the next day I enjoyed lunch in the beautiful garden of my friend V.

I was treated to a frittata with summer squash, a baby arugula salad with heirloom tomatoes in a lemon vinaigrette, and grilled polenta. It was the perfect lunch made with the freshest summer produce, cooked by a good friend. Thank so much for making my day!

Plum Torta

I ran into my friend B. at the farmers’ market on Saturday and she handed a bag full of beautiful, ripe plums from a tree in her yard. I immediately knew that I wanted to make a cake with them and had visions of one that I had recently seen in a a cookbook, or was it a magazine? I couldn’t remember where I had seen it and no amount of searching produced the recipe. I finally gave up the quest for the one I had seen and just looked on Epicurious for something resembling the torta I had in mind.

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
12 plums, halved and pitted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover the bottom of an 8″ springform pan with parchment paper and then butter and flour the pan (the recipe called for a 9″, but there was barely enough batter to cover the bottom of a 9″ pan).

In a mixer combine butter and 3/4 cup of sugar, then add the eggs and when combined, add the flour, salt and baking powder. Spread over the bottom of a pan. Top with plum halves, skin side down. Combine cinnamon with 2 tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle over the top of the torta. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan about 10 minutes, then remove side of springform. This is great served warm for breakfast or for dessert topped with vanilla ice cream. It would also be delicious made with peaches or apricots. Serves: 6

In The Future

Next spring I hope to be looking at this exact scene-fruit trees flowering in front of the medieval tower in the center of this tiny town nestled in a valley not too far from the coast. Can I really wait until then to go?

Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

Yesterday morning when I looked out at my small garden I saw two gorgeous zucchini blossoms poking out of the planter. I ran out and marveled at the fact that I did indeed have small zucchini attached to these great big flowers. I was off to the farmers’ market with visions of these beauties in my head and the first stand that I stopped at had a huge pile of blossoms on display. I knew I had to buy a bunch and fry them up for an appetizer. Actually, buying them motivated me to ask a few friends over for dinner. I figured if I was going to stuff them and fry them up, we may as well share them!

I like to stuff these with ricotta cheese and a little bit of fresh mozzarella. I had some prosciutto in the fridge so I diced it up and threw in along with some shredded basil. The batter is simple-some flour and salt mixed with either cold water or beer. The key element to successful frying is to make sure that the oil is hot enough, so I like to use a thermometer to know that it’s reached 350 degrees before I start dropping them in. You can also just stuff them with mozzarella and maybe an anchovy or two as in The Antipasto Table. I’m including the recipe for the batter from this favorite book.

Fiori di Zucchini Ripieni

For 24 squash flowers:
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cold water

Gently spread the petals of each squash flower and pinch out the stamen. Holding the flower by its stem, quickly dip one at a time into a bowl of cold water. Pat the flowers dry and place them open end down on a towel to drain.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper and baking powder. Add the water and stir just until smooth. Set aside while you stuff your flowers. I like to spoon in the filling and pinch the petals closed and twist the ends slightly to seal.

Fill a deep fryer or a heavy, deep saucepan with oil and heat to 350-375 degrees. Stir the batter and carefully dip the flowers in it to coat thoroughly. Drain off the excess batter. Fry the flowers in batches, turning them until they are golden on all sides, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon transfer the flowers to a paper towel to drain. Serve immediately.

The first photo is not from my farmers’ market, but was taken by my good friend V., I think in Italy.

My Kind Of Recipe

When my cooking magazines arrive I love to sit down and read them cover to cover. At first glance I can identify which recipes I want to try and start making plans as to when I’ll be serving these new dishes. Ever since I first browsed through the July issue of Gourmet, I’ve been looking for an excuse to make this savory “cake”. Once I saw pancetta, olives and cheese, I was hooked. My friends are coming over this afternoon to talk a little Italian and I though that this would be the perfect afternoon snack. Prosecco would probably be a great accompaniment and it just might help our attempts at conversing in Italian!

“Le Cake” Aux Olives et au Reblochon

1 cup cubed pancetta
Handful of black olives,rinsed, pitted and coarsely chopped
Generous 3/4 cup of grated Parmigaino-Reggiano cheese
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cubed Reblochon or other semisoft cheese
2 tablespoons freshly chopped herbs (such as chives, dill, parsley)
1 cup milk
3-1/2 tablespoons melted butter
1 large egg
3/4 cup creme fraiche

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Fry the pancetta until just beginning to brown. Leave to cool and mix in the olives. Grease a 5″ x 9″ loaf pan and sprinkle with half of the Parmigiano cheese. Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder and seasoning in a large bowl. Mix in the Reblochon, herbs, pancetta and olives.

In a small bowl whisk the milk, butter, egg and creme fraiche. Using a large rubber spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry and stop when it is just combined. The mixture is meant to be wet and sticky. Turn into the pan and sprinkle the remaining Parmegiano on top. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean (be aware that if it hits some melted cheese, it will come out sticky).

Cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, turn out and serve warm. If you make this ahead of time, be sure to reheat it before serving. I made half a recipe and baked two smaller loaves, which I found the perfect size when sliced.

This recipe comes from a cookbook that I’ve yet to purchase calls A Table in the Tarn. If this recipe is an indicator of the other recipes, I just might have to get this one too.

Who’s Looking At My View?

I came across this picture today and to the rest of you, it’s probably nothing incredibly interesting, but it holds a special place in my heart. This was the view out of my front door in Arezzo. Although I entered the building through a street in the center of town, my place was actually tucked back in a cluster of medieval buildings. Through a courtyard filled with bicycles and up a few flights of stairs and there was my front door. I couldn’t see the street, just the windows and rooftops of the surrounding buildings, but I loved this view all the same. I wonder who is looking at my view right now?

Cooking From The Garden

Summer is officially here and my small garden is actually looking good. I’m not what you would called an experienced gardener, but I seem to be spending more time out there, both working and enjoying what I’ve created. What I’m really looking forward to are the things I’ll be cooking with what I’ve been growing. It will probably be weeks before most things are ready to use, but I’m already thinking ahead to pasta with an uncooked sauce of chopped tomatoes, basil and garlic; grilled “caprese” panini with tomatoes, basil and creamy fresh mozzarella cheese; tomatoes stuffed with rice, sausage and herbs and baked in the oven; classic tomato-basil bruschetta with bread toasted on the grill; tomatoes slow roasted in the oven, tossed with pasta or atop savory tarts. There’s nothing quite like a summer tomato eaten right off the vine!
My arugula has been going strong for weeks and we’ve been enjoying it in salads nightly. I love its peppery flavor and how it also perks up a sandwich. I’m experimenting with zucchini grown in pots and hopefully they’ll be a success and I’ll be marinating and grilling it; sauteing it with fresh herbs and cherry tomatoes; breading and frying it; slicing it ever so thinly and serving it raw, topped with basil drizzled with fruity Italian olive oil and slivers of parmigiano.
And let’s not forget dessert! My dwarf lemon tree has been going strong and besides using the juice of this fruit in salads and marinades, I’ll be baking lemon squares; a tart of creamy lemon curd topped with fresh berries; lemon sorbet; lemon cookies and maybe even a birthday cake filled with berries and iced with a lemon cream cheese frosting! Here’s hoping that the sunny days continue and our harvest is a bountiful one!

Honestly, I’m Honored

The award is given by other bloggers who consider a blog’s content or design to be brilliant. The awardee must then post ten honest things about themselves and pass the award on to other bloggers who fit the bill – in other words, whose blog is brilliant.

Yesterday was a very good day. I woke up to find that Annika from Dove Mi Porta Il Cuore had honored me with the the above blogging award. I would like to thank Annika and all the rest of you whose blogs continue to inspire me to write, cook and dream about Italy on a daily basis.

I’ve yet to participate in any of the “sharing of things about myself”, but in the spirit of the award, here goes!

1. I’ve never seen Star Wars-any of them!
2. I grew up in a large apartment building and much to the delight of my friends, loved to offer to go and weed their lawns or shovel snow at their house since I didn’t have a yard or a driveway!
3. I learned to talk before I could walk.
4. I have over 300 cookbooks.
5. I eat peanut butter every day and even carried a jar with me to Italy!
6. I’ve lived in 6 different states.
7. I am most definitely a morning person.
8. I’m afraid of heights-especially those outside elevators.
9. I LOVE good champagne.
10. On my very first day ever in Italy I cried when I walked out of the train station in Venice and saw the Grand Canal.

It’s really hard to choose who to pass this on to (and so many of my favorites have probably already won) but here goes:

Sally at Casalba News
Giulia at Valle Nuova
Katie at Parla Food
Jason at Un Calitrano Sordo
Vanessa at Italy in SF