This is a quick and easy Italian vegetable side dish that can be served with a weeknight family meal as well as a fancy-schmancy dinner. This recipe also works well with yellow squash. The pictures below aren’t of a full pound of zucchini, by the way.
1 pound medium zucchini
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence (dried parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Wash the zucchini and trim off the ends. Slice zucchini length-wise twice and cut into ½-inch pieces. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the flour with salt & pepper. Toss zucchini with flour and add to the hot oil. Season with Herbes de Provence.
Sauté over high heat until slightly tender and golden brown, about 5-10 minutes. Don’t expect the flour to stick too much to the zucchini, most of it will clump up into brown toasted bits adding texture and flavor to the dish.
Remove from heat. Sprinkle with freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, cover and let sit for a few minutes to allow cheese to melt. Yankees suck!
I love red wine. I love filet Mignon. I love filet Mignon in red wine. Makes sense doesn’t it? This recipe is as simple as it is delicious. Have a crack at it and let me know what you think.
1½ pounds of filet Mignon, about 1″ thick
1 oz salt pork, chopped fine
2 large cloves of fresh garlic, minced
¼ cup of sweet butter
Three tablespoons of red Burgundy
10 sprigs of fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, leaves only, minced
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Combine salt pork, garlic and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté garlic for about two or three minutes, do not burn. Add steaks and cook on each side for four minutes. Add salt, pepper and wine; cover and cook for two more minutes. Add the minced parsley and shake and swirl around in the skillet. Serve on warm plates and pour the sauce from the pan over them.
Since my heritage is ¼ Italian (Neapolitan), I figured I’d share one of my favorite Italian recipes. Veal Scaloppine alla Marsala is quite popular in Italian restaurants, but you rarely find it in the home kitchen. This is a technique that is easy, light and delish!! As always, if you try any of these, I demand feedback!
2 to 2 ½ pounds veal cutlets
All-purpose flour
12 tablespoons sweet butter
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 slices of imported Italian prosciutto, diced (don’t use any of the domestic crap)
2 large garlic cloves, mashed and minced
2 teaspoons crumbled dried rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup fine Marsala wine or sherry
4 cups white mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
½ cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, leaves only, chopped fine
Pound veal cutlets thin and sprinkle with flour on both sides. Shake off any excess flour. Place butter and olive oil in a large skillet and heat. Add the veal slices and the prosciutto. Sauté for three minutes, then turn and add garlic, rosemary, salt & pepper. Cook for two more minutes. Add the wine, cover and sauté for three minutes. Uncover the skillet and add the mushrooms and parsley and cook slowly for six minutes longer. Serve with a green salad and/or a side of pasta.
This recipe also works well with chicken.
Swordfish has a texture that makes so easy to grill that many people overlook other ways to cook it. I tried this recipe out and fell in love.
2 ½ pounds of fresh swordfish
All-purpose flour
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
½ cup marinara sauce
4 tablespoons of butter
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 shallots, sliced fine
Heat oven to 300°. Cut the fish into ½ inch thick slices if they aren’t already (try getting the butcher to do this when you buy it), dry well, and sprinkle lightly with flour, salt and pepper. Mix the marinara sauce with four tablespoons of the butter. Place the oil in a baking pan and add the fish. Cook for five minutes on each side on top of the stove over medium heat. Remove from the heat. Add the marinara sauce/butter mixture and sliced shallots. Cover and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Enjoy. Yankees suck!
I know that touting this salad dressing recipe as the “world’s greatest” is a stretch, but this is what I believe until proven otherwise!
1 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon of salt
6 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1 whole green scallion, chopped fine
1 teaspoon minced celery leaves
1 small hard tomato, chopped
Juice from ½ a lemon
Combine oil with garlic. Stir well to extract garlic flavor. Add all other ingredients, beat with a wire whisk and refrigerate. Take out of refrigerator one hour before using.
People, are canned peas the worst thing in the world. I think so. Fresh peas, if you can find them, are pretty good when prepared correctly. This is an Italian variation of cooked peas. Try it and get back to me.
¼ cup of creamery butter, melted
4 Thin slices of prosciutto, minced
6 Fresh sprigs of Italian flat leaf parsley, leaves only, chopped fine
2 shallots or 2 whole fresh green onions (scallions), diced
Pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds of fresh peas in the pod
Combine in a skillet the butter, prosciutto, parsley, shallots, and salt and pepper; heat. Hull and wash the peas and place them in a saucepan. Add enough boiling salted water to cover. Add about half of the pods, well washed to give them more flavor. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Drain, and discard the pods. Add the peas to the butter-ham mixture. Cook slowly for five minutes and serve. You can use frozen peas if good fresh ones aren’t available. Those of you in southern California can find some awesome imported prosciutto at Calentino’s Deli in Costa Mesa on Harbor and Adams. GREAT PROSCIUTTO !!! Tastes like silk!
I miss California in the summer. Warm sun, cool water, beer, bikinis and peaches! Grilled peaches!
3 firm but ripe peaches, pitted & quartered
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons Italian Tuaca vanilla citrus brandy
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup mascarpone cheese, room temperature
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup dry white wine
Olive oil
First off, crank up the barbecue grill to medium-high heat. Scour the grill well and lightly brush the grill with oil. Place the peaches on the grill and cook until the grill marks are formed, slightly softened and heated through, about 5 to 6 minutes total.
Meanwhile, stir the sugar, brandy, and lemon juice in a medium bowl to blend. Set the brandy mixture aside. As the peaches are ready, remove them from the grill and place them in a shallow baking dish. Top them with the brandy mixture, and toss to coat. Set aside for 15 minutes and allow them to cool and marinate, tossing occasionally. Stir the mascarpone and vanilla in a small bowl to blend. Slice and divide the grilled peaches equally among 6 coupe dishes. Pour the wine over the peaches. Dollop the mascarpone mixture atop the peaches, and serve. Your welcome.
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