Summer Galettes

It is so easy to make a rather fancy looking pastry - with either sweet or savory fillings - with prepared pie crust from the store! Here are my recipes for the zucchini/summer squash and feta galette above as well as a fruit version.

Zucchini and Feta Galette

3 medium zucchini and/or summer squash

4 oz feta

1 lemon

1 premade pie crust (Pillsbury)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ cup chopped fresh mint and oregano

2 T olive oil – lemon flavored if possible

Preheat oven to 375. Remove pie crust from fridge and and let sit in room temp for 15 min.

Thinly slice zucchini and/or summer squash into full circles. Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Saute garlic 1 minute, then add zucchini/squash. Saute 4-5 minutes. Add crumbled feta, chopped herbs, mix, and turn off heat.

Zest the lemon and squeeze juice from ¼ of the lemon into the mixture as well. Blend.

On a rimmed cookie sheet, spray a piece of parchment paper with baking spray or olive oil. Unroll pie crust on top, spoon ingredients in the center ( a slotted spoon will drain any excess liquid), and spread out to about 1-11/2 inches before the edge. Fold over the edge to make a free-form crust, smoothing each seam to insure the mixture will not come through. Brush the crust with the egg.

Bake 25-30 minutes on center rack. Let sit 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Fruit Galette

3 cups fresh fruit, chopped (blueberries and peaches work well)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar

1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie dough (from a 15-oz package)

1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375. Remove pie crust from fridge and and let sit in room temp for 15 min.

Stir together fruit, cornstarch, zest, juice, cinnamon, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl until combined.

On a rimmed cookie sheet, spray a piece of parchment paper with baking spray. Unroll pie crust on top, spoon ingredients in the center ( a slotted spoon will drain any excess liquid), and spread out to about 1-11/2 inches before the edge. Fold over the edge to make a free-form crust, smoothing each seam to insure the mixture will not come through. Dot fruit filling with butter pieces and sprinkle the remaining teaspoon of sugar over the filling. Brush the crust with the egg.

Bake 25-30 minutes on center rack. Let sit 5 minutes. Serve warm.

eating in Southern Spain

Here are some of the culinary highlights of our summer trip!

Gazpacho. 

 It never looks this orange when I make it.  I'm wondering if there is a secret ingredient?  Bread?

bocadillo de atun and coca cola light.

the first café con leche

Why don't I have any photos of actual churros?

Would you have the presence of mind to remember to get out your camera

when hot fried bread and chocolate was placed in front of you?

best paella I've ever had, in almedinilla.

cheap and plentiful wine at the local supermarket.

fried and spicy.  what could be better?

patatas bravas.

pastries and mint tea at arrayanes in granada.

The Land of Olives

This summer we had the gift of spending 2 weeks in the midst of the largest olive growing region in the world in Andalucía, Spain.

Fuente Tojar

Cubertilla is a tiny place just outside the small white town of Fuente Tojar, near the baroque jewel of Priego de Córdoba, whose olive oil has its own Denomición de Origen.  

Priego de Córdoba

There are something like 100 million olive trees in the province.  

view from Úbeda

Zuheros

 near Almedinilla

Every view, every road we traveled.

tapa at Zahorí restaurant, Priego de Córdoba

And of course they found their way into most meals.

  On a Saturday morning we visited one of the most famous olive oil producers, Nuñez de Prado, in nearby Baena.  Not much was happening at the mill, but the owner himself happily gave us a tour of the grounds, which have been in Baena since 1795.   

The oil we purchased is called "Flor de Aceite", the flower of the oil, which is a grade above extra virgin.  The  oil is carefully extracted from the olives BEFORE they even go to the press, resulting in a cloudy, highly flavorful product.  This oil has made the Saveur 100 list for 2009, and can be found at Dean & Deluca, Williams-Sonoma, and Whole Foods (although you will pay much, much more than we did at the source!)

from (Susies) farm to (my) table

U-Pick is one of the magical phrases of summer!  I went to Susie's Garden Patch in Homer Glen and came home with over 7 lbs of berries and an achy back.  Here is my recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb  Crumble, adapted from Queen Martha.

1 cup chopped rhubarb

about 4 cups chopped strawberries - I never measure, just look when the corningware dish is full

3/4 cup sugar

2T instant tapioca

splash orange or apple juice

1 cup flour

6T unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

pinch salt

Preheat oven to 375F.

Combine rhubarb, berries, juice, sugar, and tapioca in a large baking dish, let sit 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Chop up butter and combine in a large bowl with flour, salt, and brown sugar.  Here the recipe says to use a mixer, but I just mash with a fork and my hands until the mixture is crumbly.

Spread evenly over fruit mixture and bake until golden and bubbly, about 40 minutes.

Serve with vanilla bean ice cream.

summer couscous salad

couscous

baby spinach

chopped herbs: basil, purple basil, parsley

feta

kalamata olives - just a few

fresh lemon juice and zest

toasted pine nuts

garlic

tuscan extra virgin olive oil

sea salt from sicily

Catalina

My first try at growing baby spinach from seed is a success!  Here is my first official salad.

beautiful babies

Gorgeous heirlooms from whole foods went into my greek salad last night. I can't wait for my own (albeit miniature) tiger tom, black cherry and peacevine tomatoes later on...

my new favorite breakfast

mediterranean eggs benedict

one egg

slice of bread (ciabatta or something Italian might be good here)

spinach

basil

pesto

goat cheese

extra virgin olive oil  (use the good stuff)

Poach the egg and toast the bread.  I just bought one of those microwave poachers. Perfect.

Put a spoonful of goat cheese and a dollop of pesto in a small microwavable bowl and heat for 15-20 seconds to soften.

Spread the goat cheese mixture on the toast. 

Add spinach,basil, egg, and a little more pesto to garnish.  Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.

my first batch

Today I made my first batch of homemade ice cream using my new Lello Gelato maker.

Strawberry Basil Ice Cream

Ingredients

3 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pinch salt

1 cup half and half

1 cup heavy cream

1 pint strawberries

8 large basil leaves, chopped finely

 

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Pour the half-and-half and cream into a saucepan and heat until hot, but not boiling. Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking. Slowly, a ¼ cupful at a time, pour the hot cream into the eggs and whisk until smooth.

Return to the saucepan (add some extra chopped basil to infuse some flavor?) and cook over medium-low until thick and bubbling around the edges. The custard will coat a wooden spoon. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Next day:  Rinse and hull the berries. Chop all the berries (use strawberry slicer first) and transfer half (very finely chopped) to a small bowl.  Food process the first half.  Mash the other half with a fork or pestle; they will not be smooth but still a little chunky. Chill .

Pour the cream and pureed strawberries into the canister of an ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Lello: about 30 minutes.  After this, add the mashed strawberries and the basil and freeze another 5-10 minutes.

Transfer to a shallow quart container, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze in the refrigerator's freezer for at least 3 hours until ready to serve. Let the ice cream sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before scooping.