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.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

Sweet vegetarian dinner dishes have a very strong tradition in Polish cuisine. At least once a week in almost every Polish house a sweet dinner was served. Such dinners were especially popular during the summer when all kinds of fresh fruits are available. As a child, I liked them a lot. My most favorite has always been the blueberry cold soup and plum dumplings.

Somehow today sweet dinner dishes are not particularly appreciated at my home. But it does not mean that I do not prepare them anymore. I still serve those sweet dishes bur as an evening snack or the next day leftovers for breakfast, rather than dinner.

Yesterday, I decided to make pancakes, similar to those we make with apples in Poland, just to use the leftover buttermilk and a huge box of blueberries. I also wanted to use a big bag of the whole wheat flour I had to buy for another recipe. This accidental combination of all leftovers turned into a wonderful summer snack. My younger son who is a pancakes and waffles amateur could not stop raving about their perfect taste. They indeed came out very good. Although the batter was rather heavy because of the buttermilk and the whole wheat flour, at the end, they were more delicate and fluffy than the plain flour pancakes, not to mention that they were also healthier.

Dusted with icing sugar and served with a glass of milk they were hard to resist.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes
(Makes 16-20 pancakes)

Ingredients:
1 cup bluberries
2 cups buttermilk,
1 cup whole wheat flour,
1/2 all purpose flour,
1 large egg,
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt,
1 tsp soda,
vegetable oil for frying.

Preparation:
1. In a medium bowl mix together egg and buttermilk.
2. Add both flours, backing soda, salt and sugar. Mix well using a hand whisker. Put aside for about 10 minutes.
3. Gently fold blueberries into the batter.

4. In a large frying pan heat 2-3 tbsp of oil. Put on about a soup spoon of batter. Turn down the heat to medium and fry pancakes until dark gold. Flip over and fry on the other side. It will take about 2 minutes per side. Repeat until all the batter is used.

5. Place ready pancakes on a plate with a piece of paper towel to absorb excess oil.
6. Dust pancakes with icing sugar (or pour some maple syrup on them if you prefer) and serve still warm.

Peppers Roasted with the Haloumi Cheese

Summer is about bright colors and beautiful fresh and aromatic vegetables. So today, after summer's best tomatoes, cucumbers, and herbs, it is time to try peppers. I bought mine at the local farmers market. This time I used red but next time I intend to try this dish also with the new, purple kind, which I saw at the market.

I recently tested this Mediterranean dish on a friend who is very familiar with Mexican cuisine. And maybe because it was made with peppers, he loved it. When I made the dish and the house was filled with an aroma of roasted peppers it reminded him the aroma of the roasted Mexican poblanos, which is one of the most memorable aromas of his childhood.

It is simply a wonderful summer dish when locally grown peppers are sweet and full of flavor. Peppers are filled with the Haloumi cheese, originally to be found in the traditional Middle Eastern food stores, but now becoming quite popular and pretty widely available. A little bit of oil, lemon juice, spices and the dish is ready. It can be served with a warm white baguette or fresh pita bread, as a dish in itself, or as a starter.

Peppers Roasted with the Haloumi Cheese
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:
4 bell peppers,
1/2 lb Haloumi cheese,
1/4 cup roasted pine nuts,
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil,
juice from one lemon,
a couple of branches of fresh thyme,
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped,
one tbsp caper fruits or seeds to serve with (optional),
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Wash peppers and cut them in half (you can leave stems) and remove seeds with white membranes. Rub the skin of peppers with oil and place them on a baking sheet.
3. In a small bowl mix remaining oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and half of thyme leaves. Spread the mixture inside the peppers.
4. Slice the Haloumi cheese and divide it among peppers. Toss the rest of the thyme leaves and pine nuts on top.

5. Bake for about 20 minutes until the peppers turn brown and Haloumi melts and becomes slightly gold.
6. Serve immediately, as Haloumi will harden as it cools.