SEVENTEEN : MARINATED BUFFALO MOZZARELLA AND TOMATO

PLENTY

SEPTEMBER 19 2012

SEVENTEEN : MARINATED BUFFALO MOZZARELLA AND TOMATO

We all are familiar with this equation: summer = tomatoes = caprese salad

Mr. O takes this classic combination of soft mozzarella, ripe tomato and fresh basil to a new level by massaging the mozzarella with a pungent, basil-laced marinade before serving. I usually don't spring for the more expansive buffalo mozzarella, but am truly glad I did this time. It has an amazing softness and richness. And serving it alongside a just-picked tomato still warm from the afternoon sun makes this dish hard to beat. All it needs is some crusty bread to soak up all the lovely juices. Could be a meal in itself!

chiffonade of basil

EIGHT : ASPARAGUS MIMOSA

PLENTY

JULY 04 2012

EIGHT : ASPARAGUS MIMOSA

So... I didn't do this recipe exactly correct. I was gonna, I swear, but then something in my brain convinced me it would be better chopped up as a crostini for the BBQ, so that's what I did. I still think it counts since it most definitely tasted just the same.

This is one easy recipe. Just boil asparagus until tender then dress with a mix of grated hard-boiled egg, capers, olive oil and salt. As a side dish, they would look lovely next to a juicy, flame-broiled steak or a nice wedge of salmon. But today, they were diced and served on toasted crostini. Still yummers! Asparagus and egg go together like peas and carrots.

ONE & TWO : BEEF IN DESIGNER BEER W/ GARLIC MASHED POTATOES

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

JANUARY 26 2012

ONE : BEEF IN DESIGNER BEER
TWO : MASHED POTATO WITH GARLIC-INFUSED OLIVE OIL

Oooh la la, beef! You look so fantastic in your designer beer! And what is that intoxicating scent you are wearing? I still can't believe it was only 2 1/2 hours ago I was cutting you into 2 inch chunks to be seared before getting all glammed up in your rich, glossy beer sauce. I have to admit, the searing part was a bit of a pain... but I just know your resulting deliciousness will make it well worth the effort!

beef in designer beer with garlic-oil mashed potatoes. YUM!

EIGHTY-SEVEN - NINETY-FIVE : SUNDAY SAUCE!

JANUARY 5 2012

EIGHTY-SEVEN : OLIVES
EIGHTY-EIGHT : ANTIPASTO PLATE
EIGHTY-NINE : CANNELLINI, CAPER, LEMON & ANCHOVY CROSTINI
NINETY : MULLED WINE
NINETY-ONE : PORK BRACIOLA MARINARA

NINETY-TWO : POTATO GNOCCHI 
NINETY-THREE : GNOCCHI MARINARA  
NINETY-FOUR : PUNTARELLE WITH LEMON, CAPERS, ANCHOVY & PECORINO
NINETY-FIVE : TIRAMISU

 
And that's all folks. I am now done with the book! My grand adventure culminated tonight in a fabulous Sunday Sauce (on Thursday) party where I crammed all the remaining dishes onto the table and we ate until we just about burst. I think it will be easiest to talk about each section separately. So here goes...

SEVENTY-ONE & SEVENTY-TWO : BASTARD THANKSGIVING

DECEMBER 10 2011


SEVENTY-ONE : RICOTTA CROSTINI
SEVENTY-TWO : SWEET-AND-SOUR BAKED EGGPLANT WITH MINT & RICOTTA SALATA

I know dishes from an Italian cookbook aren't exactly traditional, but I am taking any opportunity possible to cross off recipes, so today Thanksgiving went Italian! I chose a couple recipes I thought would fit nicely with the turkey and stuffing, and I think these were quite appropriate.

The crostini is very simple. Brush sliced baguette with parsley oil, toast, then top with a dollop of ricotta cheese, a sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. I felt like being extra fancy, so I decided to make the ricotta myself. I've done it before with pretty good success and it's not a difficult thing. I did try a new method: heating the milk in the microwave instead of on the stove top. Everything went quite well except I somehow ended up with way less finished cheese than I expected.

fresh homemade ricotta

FORTY-FIVE & FORTY-SIX : EGGPLANT CROSTINI & MEATBALLS

SEPTEMBER 30 2011


FORTY-FIVE : ROASTED EGGPLANT CROSTINI
FORTY-SIX : MEATBALLS (!!)

Oh meatballs, how I love thee. I want to eat you every day. Except that making Frankies meatballs requires a whole batch of tomato sauce, which has to simmer for hours. I had already made the sauce on the stovetop as the recipe directs, so I decided to make it a little easier on myself and used the crockpot this time. That way, I could go run errands as it bubbled away. It took a little longer, but was totally worth it.

This making of the Frankies meatballs, a momentus milestone in my journey, required a gathering to commemorate. So I took this opportunity to whip up the roasted eggplant crostini as well to feed our hungry guests.

THIRTY-FIVE & THIRTY-SIX : TRUFFLED MUSHROOM CROSTINI

AUGUST 23 2011

THIRTY-FIVE : CREMINI MUSHROOMS
THIRTY-SIX : CREMINI MUSHROOM & TRUFFLE OIL CROSTINI

Truffle oil.... yummmm. The End.

Okay, okay, there is more to say about this delicious dish than just that. Basically, this crostini is to die for! Roasted mushrooms are diced and tossed with chopped parsley, lots of olive oil, salt, white pepper and a few teaspoons of luscious, intoxicating truffle oil.

roasted cremini mushrooms

This mix gets heaped onto *toasted* crostini slices (that are brushed with parsley pesto, of course) and it's ready to eat! And so good.

TWENTY : AVOCADO CROSTINI

JULY 1 2011
Using the remaining parley pesto, I whipped up a batch of avocado crostini for a BBQ today. The parsley pesto also was used to marinate the steaks and season a cut-up cauliflower. It worked great!

Back to the crostini. Baguette slices were swiped with parsley pesto and quickly broiled. Then topped with avocado slices, a drizzle olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and white pepper. Delicious! The creamy avocado balanced perfectly against the crunchy crostini.

They disappeared quickly! Yummmmm :)

But then later I was flipping through the book and took a closer look at the avocado crostini recipe I thought I had so deftly prepared earlier. Wait... black pepper? Not white pepper? WTF? I thought everything used white pepper so I had only glanced at it. Dang!

What do you think? Do I have to re-do it because I used the wrong pepper? Technically I guess so. Luckily they were delicious so I am not too sad about it. I had better make sure to use the correct pepper, though, so I can cross it off my list with no guilt!

ELEVEN ~ THIRTEEN : SWEET POTATO CROSTINI

JUNE 25 2011

ELEVEN : TOASTS FOR CROSTINI
TWELVE : PARSLEY PESTO
THIRTEEN : SWEET POTATO CROSTINI

There are 7 kinds of crostini in the antipasto section of Frankies and they all start with the toasts-for-crostini recipe that also requires the parsley pesto recipe. So when I decided to finish off the leftover sweet potato from Monday's dinner by trying the strange-sounding Sweet Potato Crostini, I had to start by making the other two.

Basically the crostini recipe requires brushing sliced baguette with parsley pesto and broiling for 2 minutes. No sweat! The parsley pesto is a blend of 1 cup parsley and 1 cup olive oil (yikes!) with garlic and seasoning. I would call it more of a parsley oil, myself. It is nice on the bread, although I feel it could use a little acid.



Crostini finished, I whipped the remaining sweet potato with olive oil, salt and white pepper until creamy and dolloped it on the toasts. My suspicions were confirmed; it was weird. There was something slightly appealing about the fluffy potato against the crunch of the crostini, but overall it was just weird.



For my second one, I brushed off all but a thin slick of potato and it was a little bit better. The parsley pesto could be tasted with just a hint of the potato. But, I will not be making this again. Just plain weird.