Zucchini Stuffed with Ricotta

Tuscany, together with Provence, tops the list of my "culinary" places to see. And when I think about summer in Tuscany, I imagine that this zucchini dish could be served there with a perfectly fluffy white bread and a glass of regional red wine, at a patio, on a table covered with a red checkered tablecloth.

This vegetable light dish became one of my favorite this summer and recently, when weather was not so hot, I made it once a week after my Friday visit to farmers market where I buy these round zucchinis.

After my experiment with fried zucchini blossoms, I was planning to try more zucchini blossom dishes. Unfortunately, my zucchini plants did not survive the heat we had a couple week ago. But the filling I used here is similar to what I wanted to put into these blossoms.

This ricotta filling is as delicate as the zucchinis. It does not overshadow their mild taste. Just a little bit of garlic and fresh herbs make it a perfect addition. Roasted pine nuts bring some crunchiness to the soft texture. Then a stronger tomato sauce, in which the zucchinis are baked, add some spiciness and sourness to the whole dish.

Zucchini with Ricotta Filling in Tomato Sauce
(Serves four)

Ingredients:
8 small round zucchinis,
2 cups fresh ricotta cheese,
2 garlic cloves, minced,
1 egg,
1-2 tbsp cup fresh chopped herbs such as oregano, thyme, and marjoram,
1/4 cup roasted pine nuts,
1/4 cup dried all natural bread crumbs,
1 small onion, chopped,
2 cups tomato sauce,
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 370F.
2. Wash the zucchinis. Cut their tops off at about 4/5th of their heights. Using an ice-cream or melon scoop, gently scoop out the flesh, leaving 1/4 inch-thick walls.

3. To make the sauce, heat the oil in a frying pan. Add onion and fry for 2-3 minutes, until transparent. Add chopped zucchini flesh that you scooped from the zucchinis and fry until slightly gold. Pour in a tomato sauce and bring to boil. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for about 3 minutes. Transfer to an oven-proof dish in which zucchinis will be baked.
4. To make the filling, put the ricotta in a medium bowl. Add egg, bread crumbs, pine nuts, minced garlic, herbs, salt an pepper, and mix all the ingredients using a spatula.

5. Divide the filling among the zucchinis and cover them with their top parts. Place the zucchinis in a baking dish on top of the tomato sauce.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake the zucchinis for about 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
Serve warm with white breads.

Avocado Grilled with Goat Cheese--Easy and Delicious

There is always a right moment to share a good recipe and today's is one of my favorite.

This dish, with avocado in the main role, became one of my most popular dinner starters, when I have friends over. It is easy and can be prepared all year long as avocados are one of the most common vegetables, available in any season.

So I always have avocados in my kitchen since my whole family loves them. They are very nutritious; rich in healthy monounsaturated fats, proteins, as well as vitamins A, E, C, and B.

The only trick with avocados is to catch them at the right moment. I buy them still hard and let them ripen at home. It is said that if you put avocados among apples it speeds up the process. When they get to the right point of softness they can be refrigerated for a couple of days to preserve that perfect point.

In one of the French magazines a saw a recipe for a grilled avocado and goat cheese. Right away this combination seemed to me very interesting. I could imagine how a salted, well defined goat cheese can complement a rather mild and oily avocado. And the idea of grilling it seems very intriguing.

But instead serving it plain just with salad I also prepared a fresh tomato sauce to serve with the avocado and lighten a bit the whole dish. With a little bit of mache or arugula it became instantly a huge culinary hit among my guests. So today, I finally share this recipe.

Avocados Grilled with Goat Cheese
(Serves four>

Ingredients:
2 medium avocados (have at least extra one in case they are not perfectly greenish inside)
about 4 oz log (four 1/2-inch thick slices) of goat cheese,
2 medium tomatoes, blanched, peeled off, and chopped,
1 small shallot,
1 tbsp olive oil,
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar,
a few grape or cocktail tomatoes,
arugula or mache leaves to decorate,
2 tbsp chopped chives,
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Cut avocados in half and remove gently the stone without destroying the flesh.
2. Place chopped tomatoes in a high wall container, add shallot, olive oil, and vinegar and, using a hand blender, make a smooth pure.
3. Prepare serving plates and divide the tomato sauce among the plates.
4. Preheat boiler to 400 F. Place avocados on a small baking form. On each half put a slice of goat cheese and put the form close to the broiler. Grill for about three minutes until the cheese melts and turns slightly gold.
5. Take the avocados from the oven and place on top of the tomato sauce. Season generously with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with chives. Decorate with grape tomato halves and salad leaves.
Serve with baguette.