Zucchini and Pumpkin flowers are a favorite “flavor” here in Italy. I see pizza’s with zucchini blossoms and anchovy, there are fritters with zucchini flowers, I even see pasta and frattata adorned with the bright yellow flowers.
You can’t visit Italy’s seaside without stopping into a waterfront restaurant and ordering a plate of Fried Calamari to be enjoyed with a squeeze of lemon and a view.
It’s hard to believe but just one month after planting the garden, it is already spewing zucchini! How do they grow so fast?!? It must be all of those hours of daylight, the sun rises here at 5:30 and sets at 8:30 pm. Perfect for aiding and abetting zucchini! So what do I do with all of these zucchini? Of course I have made the sautéd zucchini and zucchini bread but I’m already looking for other ways to prepare it. I remembered these delicious little fritters from a cookbook a friend gave to me years ago so I gave them a whirl and they came out delicious. A nice change from the norm. You can also zest them up with a little curry powder and minced jalopino if you like it exotic!
One day my husband was frying a few shrimp in coconut oil and I was thinking how coconut-y and delicious it smelled and it made me think how good Shrimp would be dredged in coconut flour and shredded coconut. So I got busy looking for a recipe and came up with this one.
Now that you have made a big beautiful batch of Creamy Polenta with Ragu, you may be fortunate enough to have some leftovers! You may have been surprised when you placed that smooth polenta into a bowl to have seen in completely congealed into a solid mass when you opened the container the next day!
I have made this Polenta and Ragu on several occasions now. My first attempt was actually not mine at all but a generous Italian friend volunteered to come over and cook this hearty dish for some visiting friends. I loved the experience from top to bottom. My friends gathered in the kitchen and began preparing the polenta.
My region of Italy is Lazio and it is famous for its Artichokes, in Rome you can enjoy them Roman Style or Jewish Style. Both styles trim the artichoke all the way down to only the edible parts. The Roman Style is then simmered in water and olive oil along with spices until soft. It is then eaten in its entirety, no peeling back leaf by leaf until you reach the heart. Nope, you just dig right in. The Chef did all of the work for you.
Homemade Cannoli
(You will need cannoli molds and pastry bags to make these, I ordered mine at Amazon.com and they were under $10 and arrived in a few days. You can fry the shells a few days before filling them so it’s a great “do-ahead” recipe and a real crowd pleaser!
