Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Classic Italian Fried Zucchini - Delicious and Easy Italian Zucchini Recipe

Zucchini Italian Style -  Yum
Zucchini Italian Style -  Yum


This is one of several ways I love to do Zucchini.  This is the way my grandmother made it, so I would want to preserve that authentic Italian recipe here.   I will post others, like the Tempura that I also love, but this is the classic that is equally as delicious.   

With two Zucchini plants, you can easily grow a whole lot of this squash.   They are best picked young, before a lot of seeds develop.   Size does matter, but in this case smaller is better...   

So, with summer here and Zucchini growing almost as fast as you can pick them, I am presenting a few of these easy and delicious recipes.

Ingredients
  • Zucchini cut into either Rounds or Spears
  • 2 Beaten Eggs
  • Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
  • Extra Grated Parmesan Cheese (Optional)
  • Sea Salt to Taste
  • High Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Directions

  • Heat up the Olive Oil in a skillet.
  • In a shallow bowl, mix the Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs, and add the Parmesan Cheese if using.   Do this to taste.   Add a little sea salt and mix evenly.
  • Dip the Zucchini pieces into the egg, then into the Bread Crumb Mixture, coating evenly.
  • Fry in the Olive Oil turning to cook evenly, and remove when brown and looking delicious.  It is the cook's responsibility to "Test" the zucchini, just to make sure it is cooked to perfection.   So, you may need to eat a few during the process, just to make sure...    It is part of the process, so don't feel guilty.
That is it!   Don't you love simple and easy recipes that use the fresh produce that is abundant in the season!

I hope you enjoy this authentic Italian recipe.    Stay tuned for my take of Japanese Tempura with Zucchini, coming soon!

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Zucchini Pizza - A Low Carb Gluten Free Delight!


Zucchini and Pizza - Perfect Together


Zucchini Pizza
Zucchini Pizza


Are you looking for an amazing Zucchini recipe?  You will love this one, for sure!  What can be better than Zucchini Pizza?  It is kind of like disguising veggies as something fun!   In fact, kids even love this Zucchini Pizza, so give it a try!

Wow, this is a great way to use those summer time veggies!   Zucchini is about to become abundant for most gardeners in the US.   This is a delicious way to make those Zucchini into a very low carb and gluten free delight.

Ingredients

  • Zucchini, sliced in half
  • Olive Oil
  • Minced Garlic
  • Diced Tomatoes
  • Parmesan Cheese, grated
  • Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • Sea Salt
  • Anything else you would want on your pizza!
Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Coat Zucchini with Olive Oil and place Flat Side Up on a cookie sheet.
  • Grind a little sea salt on top and bake for 10 minutes.
  • Take zucchini out of the oven and spoon the Tomatoes and Garlic on top of each zucchini half
  • Sprinkle with a little Parmesan and cover each zucchini with shredded Mozzarella.
  • Bake for another 20 minutes.

That is it!   You can even do these on your BBQ!   If you are doing it on a BBQ, place in a disposable aluminum pan and put it directly on the grill on low heat, with the top closed....

I hope you give this awesome recipe a try and enjoy it as much as we do!  This Zucchini Pizza is an amazing way to make a gluten free actually taste good!   And, what will you do with all of the calories you will save?  Humm...






Monday, July 15, 2013

Organic Black Raspberry Jam - Low Sugar - Simply Wonderful!

I love to grow things organically!   Of the many things I grow, Black Jewel Raspberries are among my favorite things that I look forward to each year.


UPDATE: Please check my new wine making website for more detail on wine making.   How To Make Homemade Wine

One of the things I make with them is Black Raspberry Jam.    I prefer low sugar jams...  I like to taste the goodness of the fruit, before I notice with sweetness.   So, this is what I did, and you can see the video here:



Ingredients
  • About 8 - 10 cups of  Black Raspberries
  • 2 lbs Sugar
  • 1 box of No Sugar Pectin

Directions


  • Mash half of the berries in a large pot with a potato masher
  • Use a food mill to de-seed the other half of the berries
  • Heat up the berries and add the pectin, while stirring.
  • When you get a good boil going, add all of the sugar at once.   Stir constantly.
  • Test the Jam on a spoon that you have put in the freezer, to see if it sets...   Keep cooking if it doesn't 
  • Ladle the Jam into clean canning jars and leave about 1/4" headspace.
  • Can in a hot water bath canner for about 15 minutes..
  • Remove the jars and let sit for 24 hours.
  • Refrigerate any jars that don't seal.
The link for the Food Mill is here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I0MGKE/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000I0MGKE&linkCode=as2&tag=cookitalreci-20

The link for the Food Preserving Book is here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0778801314/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0778801314&linkCode=as2&tag=cookitalreci-20


This is so simple.  The jam has such an intense flavor, that is just wonderful....  I sure hope you enjoy this recipe!

Making Wine - Milk Chocolate Strawberry Port - Yumm

Hello All,

I have been posting a few videos on a new wine kit I have been making.   I think it is really cool that you can follow along with me as I am doing this.



This kit, from Amazon, is the Diamanti Milk Chocolate Strawberry Port kit.    It make only about 3 gallons of wine, but if it is anything remotely close to Winexpert Chocolate Raspberry Port, it will be a winner.

The kit can be found here:





The links to the videos are here:


Primary Fermentation:



Secondary Fermentation:





I am only up to step two with this kit, so stay tuned for updates...

I sure hope you have found this helpful and see how easy it is to make wine that you will love!

Cheers!