Posts tagged basil
What a nouille! – Soba noodles with edamame, grilled zucchini and Chinese cabbage – lemon basil pesto
Sep 1st
Quelle nouille!!! – Nouilles soba, edamame, courgettes grillées, chou chinois, sauce basilic et citron
Nouille in French means noodle of course, but if you call someone a “nouille“it’s not really a compliment and means you are calling this person an idiot. So today, I do feel like a nouille, because I keep buying soba noodles and never eat them. Actually, I rarely think of preparing or eating soba noodles, probably due to my Italian upbringing…even though my pantry is filled with all kinds of soba.
I see them every day, but no… the idea of eating them, does not even cross my mind. I look at them and think, oh wow! I have so many soba in there. That’s it…the thought stops there. Isn’t that strange? It’s funny how we get stuck into habits. Well, today I decided to make a change, free some space in the cabinets = EAT SOBA. Of course, soba being Japanese, I didn’t want to prepare them the Italian way, and offend them. I tried to be faithful to their essence. For whatever reason, soba reminds me of Geisha, something delicate, and complex at the same time.
Since I have been cooking a lot of vegan meals lately, I can assure you that this dish would please any vegan out there. I combined some Eastern-Western flavors and everything made sense in this dish, from the textures, to the flavors, the colors. Yes, everything. The herbs make it fragrant, taste fresh, the lemon gives it a clean aftertaste, and all combined with the natural nuttiness and sweetness of the buckwheat make it a perfectly balanced and delightful dish. As we say in French “Essayer, c’est l’adopter“, to try it, is to adopt it…so just try it.
Ingredients for 2
- 220 g buckwheat soba
- 1 cup edamame, frozen
- 2 zucchini, sliced
- 4 Chinese cabbage leaves, thinly chopped
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1.5 cups basil leaves
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Preparation
In a blender mix garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Blend to a fine consistency. Add lemon zest. Set aside.
Grill zucchini on both sides using a grill pan. Cut in 4 pieces. Boil edamame in boiling water for a few minutes or place in microwave to defrost. Saute cabbage in 1 tsp olive oil.
Cook soba for about 5 minutes in a slightly salted boiling water. Rinse in cold water. Combine all ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Add pesto and toss well. Eat cold or at room temperature.
Why not? – Spaghetti squash with artichoke pesto
Jun 8th
Perchè no? – Zucca spaghetti con pesto ai carciofini
Crushing these gorgeous baby artichokes into a pesto broke my heart. I have always wanted to make artichoke pesto but never really managed to turn the artichokes into a paste. They’re so cute and delicious as hearts that really putting them through a mixer, is something I hate to do. Today, I got the courage to do it. Here, we got something different and quite delicious. Honestly, I am not sure I will have the courage to to this again. I simply love to bite into an artichoke heart, I love the crunchy bite, it’s that simple. You could use this pesto on pasta of course, or as a sauce for grilled meats…or even to spread it on some country bread.
When you’re eating spaghetti squash prepared this way, you almost forgot, it’s not pasta. I undercooked the squash to get a crunchy bite, to get the “al dente” feeling. I loved this pesto. Now for the vegan crowd, you can omit the parmesan and add more walnuts. I use very little parmesan to enhance this pesto a tiny bit. You don’t want to add too much cheese either and overpower the natural delicious flavor of the artichokes.
This pesto tends to be lighter than regular basil/pine nuts pesto, its texture is more dense too, so I added a few tablespoons of water to make it creamier.
I am flying tomorrow for France, to go see my father who had a stroke last December, so I will try to post a few local recipes, in the meantime, have a nice and colorful June.
Ingredients for 2 as a main course
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- 1 lb artichokes, trimmed and cleaned
- 1/2 cup parsley
- 1/2 cup basil
- 2 tbs raw unsalted walnuts
- 1 garlic clove, crushed + 1 chopped
- 2 tbs parmesan (optional)
- 3 tbs olive oil
- water
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Cut the squash lengthwise, wrap in parchment paper and cook in a pre-heated oven at 400F for about 45 minutes to an hour.
Remove seeds first, then the spaghetti pulp. Set aside and keep warm. Save eight artichokes quarters for decoration
Heat up a pan, add the crushed garlic, stir and add baby artichokes cut in quarters. Adjust with salt and pepper, add 2 tbs white wine, and cover, decrease heat and let cook until tender. Let it cool.
For the pesto, mix artichokes with all other ingredients a mixer. Adjust with water if the pesto is too thick.
Add pesto to the spaghetti squash and mix well using your hands, to coat the squash with the pesto. Serve with an extra tablespoon of pesto on top and four artichokes quarters on each plate.
A crumble that smells like Provence – Tomato, eggplant, basil and goat cheese crumble
Dec 21st
Un crumble qui sent bon la Provence – Crumble aux tomates, aubergines, basilic et chèvre
It seems like the traditional British dessert arrived in France and turned savory. Crumbles are becoming very trendy in France and quite popular, I can understand why, they’re just really delicious. So, yes, we stole it from the British and somehow made some transformations to it. I don’t know much about British cuisine, but I know crumble comes straight from the other side of the Channel.
This is my third post featuring a savory crumble, and I will continue to explore them. Crumbles are so good, most of all very easy to make, and certainly always appreciated among guests. They make wonderful appetizers. I just love to nibble on the crust and dig to get what’s underneath. The goat cheese has melted and infused with the garlicky tomato and eggplant, so you can dip some toasted walnut bread in the juices.
I had taken tons of photos yesterday and for whatever strange reason, when I downloaded them on my computer, they had disappeared from the memory card, and by that time my meal was long gone and digested. I was really disappointed – I still don’t know where the problem came, either from the card or the camera. I Certainly did not want to eat the same dish today and honestly, I am a little tired of carbs, on arrête les féculents, let’s stop the carbs before I turn into a giant noodle!!! I have been eating more pasta and rice than usual, so I figured this crumble would fit perfectly my nutritional needs.
Ingredients for 3-4 individual crumbles
- 5 medium size tomatoes, peeled and seedless, cut in quarters
- 1 small eggplant, sliced crosswise
- 4 tbs goat cheese, crumble
- 2 tbs basil, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper
For the crumble topping
- 4 tbs white flour
- 5 tbs plain bread crumbs
- 1 tsp herbes de Provence
- 1 1/2 tbs almond meal
- 1 tbs parmesan, grated
- 2 oz (or 50 g) butter
- a little salt and pepper
Preparation
Heat olive oil in a pan, add 1 garlic clove chopped, then add tomatoes, cook for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes are starting to become soft but not mushy. In a grill pan, grill eggplant on both sides. You can also sprinkle them with olive oil, salt and pepper and broil them under broiler.
Start making crumble topping. In a mixing bowl, mix all ingredients together, then add butter and mix from tip of the fingers to make a crumbly dough.
In individual molds, add tomaotes, eggplant and basil. Top with goat cheese and crumble topping.
Cook in a pre-heated oven at 370F for about 30 minutes or until the top has turned golden.
Serve hot with a green salad.
The naked ravioli – Malfatti "gratinés" in a spicy tomato sauce
Nov 30th
I ravioli nudi – Malfatti gratinati con salsina di pomodoro
After this Thanksgiving celebration, it’s good to go back to a healthier kind of cuisine. The turkey ended up so dry, due to a guest arriving over an hour late, and my new oven with circular heat that cooks three times faster than traditional oven. I think I am so done with the turkey anyway. Arriving 20 minutes late to a sit down dinner when food is served is fine, but one hour is somehow rude. Don’t you think? everyone has its “acceptable” time and for me 20 minutes is the limit. An unforeseen circumstance might also happen but that’s not something that happens on a regular basis.
Malfatti or Gnudi is a traditional Tuscan dish…I make them often but never think of posting them. It’s basically ravioli without dough called “gnudi” in Tuscan meaning “naked” or also “malfatti” meaning “not well made”, they’re either served with a gorgonzola sauce, a béchamel or tomato sauce and baked in the oven. I like it with a light and spicy tomato sauce, then you can just play around with them and see what you prefer. There is no meat just vegetables and cheese, so it’s quite a light dish.
I like traditional and rustic dishes like this one, because they’re peasant food and you cannot find them in the stores nor in restaurants, so it’s basically recipes you find only at people’s houses. Tuscan and Marchigiana cuisine are quite similar with slight variations since they’re two regions in Central Italy. Growing up on Marchigiana cuisine, Tuscan cuisine is not completely foreign to me. Even after living half of her life in France, my mom still cooks traditional Marchigiana cuisine and barely makes French food. She would make quiches or choucroute once in her while but that’s it. I guess no matter where you move, and for how long, you are still attached to what you are used to eating growing up.
I did not put the flour quantity, you need to add enough so that the spinach/ricotta mixture is no longer soft but still a little sticky. If you put too much flour, the ravioli will get heavy and chewy. You just have to play with the flour. It took me a few times before making them just right.
Ingredients about 20 ravioli
For the ravioli
- 1/2 lb ricotta
- about 1/2 lb fresh spinach
- 6 tbs parmigiano reggiano, grated (+ 2 for sprinkling on top)
- 2 eggs
- flour
- salt and pepper
For tomato sauce
- 4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seedless, crushed
- 2 garlic cloves
- 4 basil leaves
- chili powder
- 2 tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper
Preparation
For the sauce
Heat olive oil in a pot, add garlic, stir to get the flavor out, add basil, tomatoes, chili pepper, salt and pepper, and cook until the tomato is cooked for about 15 minutes.
For the ravioli
Cook spinach in a large pot of boiling and salted water for about 5-10 minutes, depending if you use baby spinach or regular ones. Drain, let them cool and remove excess water by squeezing with your hands. Chop them.
In a large mixing bowl, mix spinach, ricotta, parmesan, eggs, flour salt and pepper. At this point, you need to play with the flour, try getting a soft mixture not too sticky, but not too thick. It still needs to stick to your fingers a little bit.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Start making the gnudi. Add about 1 cup of flour to a plate, and start forming small balls with spinach/ricotta mixture the size of a big walnut. Coat them well with flour.
When water is boiling carefully, add gnudi to the water, it’s better to cook about 10 at one time, so they have enough water and space too cook. When gnudi come out at the surface, remove them, and drain. Proceed the same way for the second batch.
Place in a oven tray and pour some sauce on top, sprinkle with parmigiano and olive oil, then cook in a pre-heated oven at 375F for about 20 minutes or until the top turns golden brown. Serve hot.
Vegetables inside and out – Carrot tagliolini with zucchini-walnut pesto
Aug 26th
Verdura fuori e dentro – Tagliolini di carote con pesto alle zucchine e noci
More on the homemade vegetable pasta chapter… I am in my Italian cooking phase, I left French food aside and going back to my roots. Playing with pasta is a lot of fun. I love making homemade pasta, and having my hands in flour. Kneading the dough, relaxes me, it’s like a therapeutic anti-anxiety session. So I guess it’s better than taking Xanax!
I Found my pasta machine after searching for an hour, it was stuck at the bottom of a drawer, hidden with hundred of other kitchen utensils. I did not feel like using rolling pin (mattarello) this time, the beet tagliatelle were quite time consuming and I did not have time. Making those carrot tagliolini took a lot longer than when making regular pasta with plain flour and no vegetable, because the dough was somehow soft, due to the carrots and the water they contain. So I had to add flour constantly to prevent dough from sticking.
I’m not sure how to translate tagliolini in English, maybe angel hair? I think angel hair are thinner than those. My grandma used to make tagliolini in a tomato broth and we would eat them in a soup-based consistency. Tagliolini are a typical traditional pasta, larger than capellini but narrower than tagliatelle. When made fresh, they cook fast and usually they’re served with light sauces.
If you have a regular pasta machine (I have an Imperia one), it comes with that particular cut, it’s the thinner one (the other one is the tagliatelle cut). If you make the pasta with rolling pin, it needs to be about 2mm large
Zucchini pesto is quite tasty with a lighter texture than regular pesto since it mostly contains zucchini, you can slightly taste the flavor of zucchini which tends to be bland, but enhanced with basil, and parmesan.
Ingredients for 4
For the pasta
- 3 cups white flour + more flour
- 2 eggs
- 200g pureed carrots
For the pesto
- 2 zucchini
- 3 tbs walnuts, chopped
- 3 tbs freshly grated parmigiano reggiano
- 2 garlic cloves
- 10 basil leaves
- 3 tbs olive oil
- salt and pepper
Preparation
For the pasta
Cook carrots in water until well cooked all the way through. Drain, let cool and puré with a potato masher, or a mixer so that you get a smooth and thin cream. Place in a mixing bowl, add flour, egg and mix to get a homogeneous dough. Remove from bowl and start kneading on a flat surface. At this point, you might need to constantly add flour, so that dough does not stick to the working surface. Proceed like you would make regular pasta sheets with your pasta machine.
For the pesto
Cut zucchini in medium size pieces. Place in a blender with the other ingredients and blend to a medium consistency. Adjust with some additional olive oil if the pesto is a little thick and blend a little more.
Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water for one minute and drain. Toss with pesto and serve hot.
One unexpected gratin – Gratin with spaghetti squash, potatoes, tomatoes, gruyère, parmesan and basil
Aug 19th
Un gratin inattendu – gratin de courge spaghetti, tomates, pommes de terre, gruyère, parmesan et basilic
Now I know that this might be a little too much of spaghetti squash in just a couple of days. I was not planning on writing a blog about it, I took the pictures, just in case…then after eating almost all of it by myself, I figured it was definitley blog “worthy” and I have to say it’s my favorite spaghetti squash recipe. I had quite a lot of extra squash left from the pancakes, and certainly did not want to throw anything away. I was taught not to throw food growing up, and I rarely do. I still have some squash left, but I promised I will not write another blog about it.
Vegetable gratin are every French basics. They come in all colors, shapes and form. One thing in common they have cheese in it, actually almost all of them, the real potato gratin, le gratin dauphinois has no cheese in it (although a lot of people do put cheese, but the “purists” will grind their teeth at the though of cheese in gratin dauphinois).
I absolutely love this gratin, and I recommend it to anyone who likes spaghetti squash.
Ingredients for 2
- 300 g cooked squash (approximately)
- 3 riped tomatoes, peeled, seedless and cut in small cubes
- 3 medium size potatoes
- 2 tbs basil chopped
- 2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/2 onion (optional)*
- 4 tbs Gruyere cheese, grated
- 4 tbs Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbs olive oil
Preparation
Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender but do not overcook them, they will cook more in the oven.
Add a little oil at the bottom of a deep dish, slice potatoes and lay them flat in the dish, add salt and pepper. Add another layer of spaghetti squash using half of the squash. Add garlic, basil thyme, tomatoes and cheeses, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with olive oil. Proceed with another layer of the same ingredients, ending with cheeses at the end.
*You can add onion fondue and add the onions after the potato layer. You have to cook onion at medium heat in olive oil until they’re translucent. Add a tsp of balsamic vinegar.
When you’re done layering the gratin, press firmly with your hand on the surface to remove any air in between the layers. That way, when it’s cooked it will stand and not collapse.
Cook in a pre-heated oven at 370-375F for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden brown. Serve hot as a side dish or as is with a green salad.
Chilled soup to absolutely try – Watermelon and tomato gazpacho with goat cheese and basil
Jul 22nd
Soupe glacée à essayer absolument – Gaspacho de pastèque et tomates au chèvre et basilic
Una zuppa fredda da fare assolutamente – Gaspacho d’anguria con pomodori, formaggio di capra e basilico
If you like regular gazpacho, you’ll like this one too. I promise. At first, when I heard a friend had a wonderful soup in a restaurant in Paris, a watermelon soup with goat cheese, I was all curious about it but did not ask too many questions since that was not the point of the conversation. After thinking about it, I figured it would obviously something cold, somehow similar to gaspacho but I was a little concerned about the watermelon sweetness.
The other ingredient that would definitely go in this soup, was basil. I have this pot of basil almost ready to die on the balcony, so I decided to use the leaves that were still green and in shape. I don’t know why but anytime I buy a pot of basil, it does not last long, two weeks at best. It sits on the balcony with great sun exposure, I water it almost every day, and it just dies. Unfortunately, it seems like I am not a great gardener, in French we say ne pas avoir la main verte, literally translated by “not to have a green hand”. Even with the best of my intentions, plants die around me.
The watermelon is a wonderful fruit perfect for those who want to keep their weight down, refreshing and summery, it reminds me of my Italian vacations growing up, where trucks filled with huge oval watermelons were sitting along the roads leading to the beach. I think we tend to forget how delicious and refreshing watermelon can be, and even if we privilege other fruits during summer, let’s not forget to add it in our diet.
This soup tends to be a little on the sweet side, but enhanced with balsamic vinegar, tomatoes and goat cheese, it is “THE” summer soup and you need to try it. Make sure to chill it well, the chiller, the better.
Ingredients for 4
- 1/2 medium size watermelon (seedless)
- 3 tomatoes, seedless, chopped
- 1/2 green bell pepper
- 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 cups vegetable broth or more as needed
- 1 tbs chopped basil
- 4 slices goat cheese
- hot chili pepper powder
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Cut watermelon in cubes. Add tomatoes and all other ingredients except for the goat cheese. Let marinate for about one hour. Blend the mixture, and add a slice of goat cheese in the middle. Grind black fresh pepper on top.
Serve very chilled.
The angry crêpe- Spinach crêpes stuffed with crab and prawns in a spicy and creamy tomato sauce
Jul 7th
La crêpe est verte - Crêpes d’épinards farcies au crabe et crevettes dans une sauce épicée légerement crémeuse de tomates et herbes
In French, the expression “être vert” “to be green”, means to be mad. So we have a green crêpe today, a pretty mad and angry one. Then it got filled with crab and all of the sudden got much nicer.
Crêpe being a batter, you can add anything you like in it. After twisting the idea of flavoring the crêpe batter for a while, I added blended spinach, to give it some pretty color and nice leafy taste that goes perfectly with seafood. Everyone loves crêpes, they’re light, tasty and fun to make, the fun part is when you throw them up in the air to turn them around, and they land beautifully in your pan, or if you are clumsy on your feet.
So the other exciting part of making crêpe, if you are going to stuff them, is the filling. You can use your imagination to make the filling.
Our traditional one, you can get at any crêperie in France is the jambon-fromage (ham-cheese). If you ever go to Paris and don’t get the chance to go through Brittany, try a crêpe in the quartier breton (the Brittany quarter) close to Montparnasse. When I lived in Paris I loved going to Jocelyn, it’s a crêperie in that area that used to serve wonderful and authentic crêpes with lots of cider. I bet it’s still around.
Ingredients for 6 crêpes
for the crêpes
- 5 tbs frozen spinach, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp olive oil
- one pinch nutmeg
- milk
for the filling
- 12 large shrimps
- 2 king crab legs
- 1 tbs basil, chopped
- 1 tbs parsley, chopped
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tomatoes, chopped and diced
- 1 pinch chili pepper
- 2 tbs white wine
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 6 long chives
- salt and pepper
Preparation
The batter
In a mixing bowl, add flour, chopped spinach, egg, olive oil, nutmeg and milk. For the milk, add enough milk to make a thin batter but not too liquid, it needs to coat your spoon. Place the batter in a blender to make it smooth and homogenous. Let the batter rest for about an hour.
The seafood filling
Heat olive oil in a pan, add shallots and brown them. add basil and parsley, stir to get the flavors out, then add tomatoes, crushed garlic, chili powder, white wine, salt and pepper. Stir and let cook for about 15 min until the tomatoes are cooked but not too mushy. Add unshelled shrimps and crab flesh, cook the fish mixture until shrimps turn pink. Add 2 tbs cream. Mix well and stuff the crêpes with the filling. Tie a chive around each crêpe to keep it folded and serve very hot.
Shrimps in a green blanket – Spinach Farrotto with garlic oyster mushrooms, leek-wrapped shrimps and basil jus
Jun 4th
Crevettes en couverture verte – Epeautre vert facon risotto aux gambas enrobés de poireaux, pleurottes et jus de basilic
Gamberi in coperta verde – “Farrotto” verde, con gamberi ai porri, funghi e sugo di basilico
I always remember “Riso verde” green risotto I used to eat in Italy anytime I went there to spend the summer. It’s basically risotto with spinach, parmesan and panna (panna is the Italian cream but unavailable in the US) – spinach are so thinnly blended that the rice has a beautiful green color.
I wanted to make something similar with farro but less heavy, so I didn’t add any cream. The basil jus (what is jus in English anyway? juice?) enhances the whole dish without adding too many flavors. The leek wrapping the shrimps gives a perfect touch and wholesome little dinner meal.
Farrotto is farro that has been prepared and cooked like risotto, can be orzotto, or whatever grain you want to use. I think barley would work as well.
I love this dish, and will certainly make it more often. What I love the most is its delicate and wonderful flavors blending all together, its lightness and hearty beautiful green colors. I love everything about it.
Ingredients for 4
- 2 cups farro (spelt)
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- 1/2 lb spinach (fresh or frozen)
- 1/2 cup whit wine
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 lbs oyster mushrooms
- 2 garlic cloves
- 10 large uncooked shrimps
- 2 large leeks
- 1 bunch basil
- 3 tbs parmiggiano reggiano, freshly grated
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Preparation
Start making the farro risotto (I call it farrotto). Heat olive oil in a pot, brown shallots, add farro, stir and coat farro with oil. Add a little wine and a little broth and cook always stirring to not let it stick to the bottom of the pot. Add salt and pepper.
Cook spinach in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze excess water. Chop very finely to make it into a purée.
When the farro is cooked, add spinach, stir well, and add parmesan cheese.
Saute oyster mushrooms in olive oil, add salt and pepper, let water evaporate. Add crushed garlic at the end. Stir for another 5 minutes to make garlic flavor come out.
For the basil jus, bring 1/2 cup of broth to a boil, add basil and cook for 30 seconds, remove from the pot and pat dry. In a blender, mix basil with broth to make it into a very fine mixture. Remove from blender into a bowl, add 1 tbs olive oil, 1 tsp lemon juice, salt and pepper if needed.
For the shrimps, cut the top hard part of the leeks. Separate carefully each leave from one another and cut in half, you should get about a piece that is 1 1/2 inch wide and 4 or 5 inches long. Bring water to a boil and cook leeks in water for about 1 minute. Drain and pat dry. Add salt and pepper to shrimps and wrap them in each piece of leek.
Saute shrimps in olive oil at medium heat until they’re cooked, brown the outside.
Set the plate. First place a nice quantity of farrotto in the middle of the plate making a timballe (a round little cone) . Add some mushrooms around the farro. Place two shrimps on top and place 2 at the bottom. Sprinkle shrimps and mushrooms with basil jus.
Don't confuse it with a pizza – Tatin with tomatoes, ricotta salata, goat cheese and basil
Jun 3rd
Ne pas confondre avec une pizza – Tarte tatin facon pizza aux tomates confites, ricotta, chèvre, lardons, basilic et moutarde
I really don’t like to throw food away…I had some leftover dough that I used to make the Tarpiz a few days ago and I thought it would be a shame to throw away that delicious and healthy dough, so I decided to make a tatin with it. Tatin in French refers to an upside down tart. The fruits or vegetables and first placed in the dish, then comes the dough that is placed on top. Usually people use either puff pastry or pâte brisée . In this case, I used the whole wheat and kamut dough, which is more similar to pizza dough and has a lot less fat in it. The thing is since it has some yeast in it, you need to make it thin or it will rise and get too thick.
Try to get really ripe, organic and meaty tomatoes. If you get regular tomatoes, they tend to be filled with water, and even after it’s cooked the tatin will be filled with water and soak its crust.
Ricotta salata, in Italian “salata” means “salty” (can be sometimes called “ricottone”) and it is basically regular ricotta to which salt has been added and has been left to dry for about one month. The drying process made ricotta lose half of its water. This ricotta can also be grated like regular cheese.
I just put one slice of bacon, but you can put more if you like it, I didn’t want the smoked flavor to be too powering.
Ingredients for 4
- 6 medium tomatoes, skinless and seedless
- 2 tbs of ricotta salata
- 2 tbs goat cheese
- 2 tbs basil
- 1 slice of bacon, diced
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tbs Dijon mustard
- 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper
Preparation
First prepare the tomatoes. Remove the skin by putting them in boiling water for a few seconds. Cut in half and remove the seeds. Add salt and pepper and place in the oven at 400F for about 15 minutes to dry them out.
Oil a deep dish. Place tomatoes in the dish, the side that has been cut should be face down. Make sure to tighten them closely, not to leave any space between them. Add cheeses cut in slices on top of tomatoes. Add bacon (previously diced and cooked in a pan), add basil, garlic, salt and pepper.
Spread the dough using a rolling pin. Make it into a thin layer. Make sure to make a larger circle than the dish containing the tomatoes. Spread mustard on top of the dough and place the dough with mustard side down, facing the tomatoes. You need to push the extra dough down, all around the edge of the dish.
Place tatin in a preheated oven at 375F for about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden.
Before removing from the dish, wait about 30 seconds. Then unmold upside down and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
