Squash Blossom Soiree

Last night Quinn and I co-hosted a seasonal dinner featuring all things squash. We invited an insanely attractive group of people (I'm attracted to all of you, I promise; now you can't complain if I try to dry hump you later) who brought yummy things to drink - wines and bubbles and Lambics and yum. They even helped with dishes the little dears. All in all, it was a blast, I just wish Quinn and I weren't stuck in the kitchen for so much of the evening. Next dinner is going to be MUCH simpler.

Fried Squash Blossoms
Check out what the genius mind behind Nermo has to say about his various dipping sauces. We used two fillings, the one in Giada's recipe and this one:
½ c. ricotta cheese
2 tblsp. fresh basil, chopped
5 to 6 sun-dried tomato halves, packed in oil, chopped
2 tblsp. parmigiano reggiano, grated
¼ tsp. coarse salt
½ tsp. pepper
Curried Zucchini Soup
Carbonara Primavera
Tian
Zucchini French Toast
Tomcat Collins - created and mixed by Quinn


Quinn made the most amazing fried squash blossoms. For someone who has never even tried them, let alone made them, they were easily the best I've ever had. His dipping sauces were out of control, though I think the tomato was my fave. I think we could've called it quits after the blossoms, but I had too cook too ya know!
Everything else went over well, but the blossoms were the easy winner. I think the tian came in second for me - it was just so yummy. The Tomcat Collins was fresh and fizzy and a nice clean complement to the rice flavors. Champagne also went perfectly with the blossoms.
No food photos, we were too busy eating. :o( Just photos of "tablescapes" and flowers and the little to-go bags of minimuffiny goodness.

Zucchini Bread French Toast

Take your zucchini bread and slice it thinly - 1/4" or so.
Mix up a standard french toast batter - for 12 thin slices of zuke bread, I used 3 eggs, 1/4 c ff half and half and a tsp of vanilla. You can add cinnamon as well if you like.
Quickly dunk the slices of zuke bread into the batter, coating both sides, and cook over med-hi in your "attempt at healthy" butter flavored spray/Pam, or butter if all pretenses of health are out the window.
Keep warm in the oven until all slices are cooked.

Serve with your preference - maple syrup, vanilla cream, or what we used - Mitchell's Black Walnut ice cream. Yum.

Zucchini & Sausage Carbonara

Another recipe you may not want to quote me on since I was inspired by a couple of recipes when making it. I'd say I was inspired by Emeril's use of sausage, but more closely followed Jamie's.

Zucchini & Sausage Carbonara
2 Johnsonville sweet Italian sausages, removed from casings
1/4 lb ground turkey (I had it on hand and threw it in, but you could easily just use another sausage link)
2 green zucchini
2 yellow squash
(I also used one variegated green/yellow squash, but you can just use one more of a green or yellow)
1 pound of freshly made whole wheat fettuccine from the farmer's market (or dry, whole wheat penne)
4 large egg yolks
1/2 c cream (I filled my measuring cup half to 2/3 of the way with cream, and then filled it the rest of the way with ff half and half)
2 good handfuls freshly grated Parm (I had shredded, so that's what I used)
1 tsp of thyme (smoosh it up in your hand or between your fingers before adding)
olive oil
salt and pepper

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.
Halve and then quarter any larger zucchini lengthwise. Cut out and discard any fluffy middle bits, and slice the zucchini at an angle into pieces roughly the same size and shape as the penne. Smaller zucchini can simply be sliced finely. Your water will now be boiling, so add the penne to the pan and cook according to the package instructions. If you're using fresh pasta - hold off on this until the sausage and zukes are cooked since it will cook up so quickly.

Add a couple of tsp of olive oil to a pan and heat over med-hi. Add meat and cook until no longer pink, breaking it up into small crumbles as you go. Depending on how big your pan is, maybe you can get the zucchini in too, but I took the meat out, leaving all of it's meaty goodness behind in the pan, and cooked the zukes up with some salt, pepper, and the thyme so they dry fried a little, getting nice and brown in some spots, but soft and cooked through overall.

To make the carbonara sauce, put the egg yolks into a bowl, add the cream and half the Parmesan, and mix together with a fork. Season lightly with salt and pepper and set aside.

It's very important to get this next bit right or your carbonara could end up ruined. You need to work quickly. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a little of the cooking water. Immediately, toss the pasta in the pan with the zucchini & sausage, then remove from the heat and add a ladleful of the reserved cooking water and your creamy sauce. Stir together quickly. (No more cooking now, otherwise you'll scramble the eggs.)

Add more of the cooking water if needed to get a nice shiny sauce and top with the rest of the parm. I tore up some squash blossoms on top as garnish as well. Serve immediately!

Curried Zucchini Soup

Another South Beach hit - great for summer as it's fresh and delicious, but good for fall too since it's warm and cozy. This was the second course for the squash blossom dinner, and while I really should've thought about how I was going to serve it in advance, it worked out okay.

Curried Zucchini Soup
2 tsp Extra Virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 medium zukes, sliced into 1/4" half moons
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp garam masala (which I did not have so I used a dash of Allspice + cumin + chili powder; other folks have actual substitution recipes if you'd prefer)
3 cups veggie broth (low sodium)
1/2 c plain fat free yogurt

garnish:
3 tbsp lowfat/ff sour cream mixed with 1 tbsp ff half and half to thin it out (or creme fraiche if you prefer)
Ginger - using a garlic press, smoosh up your ginger to taste and mix in - I probably used a 1 inch piece of ginger, but I think a little more would've been good

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 min. Add garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add zucchini, ginger, curry powder, and garam masala. Cook 3 more min.

Add broth and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer until vegetable are tender, about 10 min. Puree soup until smooth. Whisk in yogurt just before serving.

Garnish soup with ginger creme fraiche, either a nice little dollop on top, or a swirl if you're feeling fabulous.

Vegetable Tian

This tastes so amazingly sweet and rich and is a great way to showcase summer produce, though you can easily make it in the fall with fall squash (once everything cooks down, any mealiness in out of season tomatoes will vaporize too). You can also use other veggies, like eggplant and potato. I would've taken a photo of its glory for you, but I forgot it in the oven and dessicated the hell out of the top of it. Luckily, the bottom was still juicy and amazing, so I just stirred it up and served it between courses. DAMN. So much for eating with your eyes first - it looked like ratatouille when I served it, despite all the time I made perfectly spiraling my veggies. I knew I should've taken a photo before I baked it. Luckily, I have a couple of shots of some tians I made with Kelsie Kerr.
This side with a nice piece of fish makes such a yummy and healthy meal it's not even funny.

Vegetable Tian
2 yellow squash, 1/4" slice
2 small variegated green/yellow squash, 1/4" slice or zucchini
2 heirloom tomatoes, 1/4" slice - because my tomatoes were large, I also halved or quartered the slices so they were closer in size to the squash and zukes
1 large red onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 large basil leaves
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 c (or less) olive oil
1/4 c lowfat shredded Italian cheese or Parm (optional)

Put 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan and heat over med-hi. Add onions and sautee over med until soft and translucent. Add garlic and sautee another minute or so.
Spread this mixture in the bottom of a baking dish (I used a shallow tart dish).
Starting in the center, arrange the tomatoes and zucchini (is it okay if I say "artfully?") in a spiral, keeping them in tight, until the dish is filled. You might have a couple of small pieces of zucchini left, and you can add them to the center or use them for something else.
Chiffonade the basil and chop the rosemary and sprinkle over the top. Drizzle the rest of the olive oil over and add salt and pepper.
Cover with foil and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 40 minutes. If using, add the cheese and put back into oven for a few minutes until melted. I did not use the cheese and it was still amazing!


** update: Made this again with my new mandolin and it is still freaking amazing - even when you cook it like you're supposed to.

Filet Mignon with Balsamic Syrup and Goat Cheese

Man I love coming over to my dad and stepmother's house for dinner. Not only do I get fed a kick ass dinner (tonight was grilled chicken with roasted nectarines and buerre blanc), but I even go home with new delicious recipes to try. How on God's green earth I ever missed this one I don't even know. This can easily be made SB by subbing out Splenda for the sugar, and hell, maybe this is another one where you can skip it altogether (cooking balsamic down tends to make it really sweet); you can also use lowfat goat cheese, though it's such a small amount that it wouldn't be the end of the world if you used regular. Unless you use the amount I typically use. Then it's bad no matter what.

Filet Mignon with Balsamic Syrup and Goat Cheese
1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter
6 (5 to 6-ounce) filet mignon steaks (each about 1-inch thick)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces soft fresh goat cheese

Boil the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Melt the butter in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper. Cook the steaks to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steaks to a baking sheet. Crumble the cheese over the steaks and broil just until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with pepper.

Transfer the steaks to plates. Drizzle the balsamic sauce around the steaks and serve.

Pan-Roasted Steak and Onions

When I first moved out on my own, I had my dad and stepmother over for dinner. I didn't have a dining table mind you, but I was determined to make a delicious dinner for the folks that had been feeding me since I was 13. I had recently gotten my stepmother onto South Beach and wanted to make something that was delicious, but also appropriate for her. This dish got rave reviews from her and my finicky (anti-"diet") father. They make it all the time, and I couldn't for the life of me remember where I had found the recipe. Well, four years later, that's not happening again.

Pan-Roasted Steak and Onions
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound flank steak
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup fat-free chicken broth
1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch thick rings

1. In a large non-aluminum baking dish, combine the oil, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and garlic. Add the steak; turn to coat. Cover; refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight, turning once.
2. Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Place over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the steak with the pepper and salt. Brown for 2 minutes per side. Add 1/2 cup of the broth; cook, turning once, for 5 to 6 minutes per side (for medium-rare). Remove the steak from the skillet; cover the steak loosely to keep it warm. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion slices to the skillet and cook until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Add the remaining broth as needed to prevent the onions from sticking.
3. Thinly slice the steak across the grain; serve with the onions.

• This recipe is optimal for Phase 1 or Phase 2 of the South Beach Diet.
• Copyright© 2003 Waterfront Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
  

Yeah, and so now I'm realizing that I have this recipe in two separate posts. Um, it's really good, that's why.