Mangia Mediterranean - Recipes and Thoughts From My Kitchen

In Season Foods for Summer

July 7th 2010 17:05

A key part of borrowing concepts from the Mediterranean kitchen is to cook with the freshest ingredients. That means using the most in season product available. For the Northern Hemisphere, July means summer. Here is a list of some of the best product choices for this time of year.

In general, berries - especially strawberries and blueberries, are a good pick. Cherries also make the list and so do peaches (in some slightly warmer climates).

For vegetables look for things like beets, cabbage, cucumbers, and mushrooms. This is not a good time for lettuce. The hotter temperatures make them wilt. Lettuce is a cold weather crop.

This list is not comprehensive. In fact, it is hard to put together a list because each state has its own growing conditions. If you live in the US, you can check what's in season. Just go to this link and select your state and the time of year.

You might be able to find a link for your area online. If you live in the UK you can visit this link for more info.

An extra bonus? Shopping with the seasons in mind can save money! If anything, though, it makes the food extra tasty. Visit local farmer's markets and roadside stands to get the best picks available.

I just spent a few days in Bavaria in Germany and the farmers were picking strawberries in the field each morning and selling them all over the countryside. These strawberries are the sweetest and most delicious (and amongst the cheapest) I've ever had.

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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My Easiest Bolognese Sauce Recipe Ever

June 25th 2010 10:41

I lived in Germany from 2002-2004 and the Bolognese sauce that I used to make back then was the tastiest and easiest I've ever made. For years I couldn't even come close. I moved back to the US and I blame the ingredients. The ground beef is fresher in Germany and the tomato products are of a higher quality.

I'm happy to report that I live in Germany again and I have access to these delicious ingredients. I have a pot of my old Bolognese bubbling on the stove and I'm very excited to be eating this for dinner! All the measurements are metric because it's just easier out here.

Bolognese Sauce Recipe

1 garlic clove, chopped
2 tablespoons of cold pressed olive oil
200 grams ground beef
1 500g carton of tomato sauce
2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

(It has to be the carton! I swear the metal containers impart metal flavors into the sauce.)

Add oil and garlic to small sauce pan. Saute a little on medium heat until you can smell the garlic smell. Add meat. Raise heat to medium-high. Saute until meat is cooked and broken down into small pieces.

You'll need to stir it a bit with a wooden spoon and help it break down but if the meat is truly fresh, it won't form those awful clumps. The meat will cooperate.

Add tomato sauce. Feel free to put a little water into the container to get the rest out - don't worry about the extra moisture it pretty much evaporates during the long simmer time anyway. Add basil, oregano, and a few shakes of pepper and stir.

Bring to a boil and simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring every now and then. Salt the sauce to taste (do this at the very end!). The longer you simmer the sauce the better. I usually do it for an hour then turn it off if I am making it in advance. I'll boil it and simmer it again for thirty minutes while preparing dinner later on.

At this point you can do what you want with it. Make lasagna, toss into spaghetti, make a pizza, etc.

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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6 Ways to Enjoy Proseco

June 24th 2010 09:14

Proseco is one of my go to summer beverages. I love it with a slight chill and it seems to accompany all things summer quite well. I usually order it in the restaurants with Insalate Caprese but I like it by itself - especially when sitting outside enjoying the sunshine.

So naturally I started thinking about all the fun things I could do with this beverage beyond simply just drinking it plain. Off the top of my head I've come up with 6 options.

1. Fruit Salad with Proseco

I love a good fruit salad. There's nothing better than slicing up fresh, in season fruit and pouring something over it. Sometimes I choose that something to be Proseco. Just slice fruit up into individual dessert glasses and pour chilled Proseco over. You can also mix in a splash of grapefruit or orange juice.

2. Proseco Fruit Cocktail

This is along the same lines as the Proseco Fruit Salad and works especially well with strawberries. Clean and slice one strawberry. Place in a Champagne flute and pour Proseco over it. If you let it sit for a minute, the fruit flavor starts to seep into the beverage. Delicious.

3. Proseco and Ice Cream

This is another fun twist and makes for a very simple and flavorful dessert. I find the combination of Proseco and vanilla ice cream to be outstanding. Place a scoop of two of ice cream (I like vanilla and mint for this but you can use anything) into a dessert glass. Pour Proseco over and enjoy.

4. Proseco Vinaigrette

Whisk 1/4 cup light olive oil, 1/8 cup white wine vinegar, and 1/8 cup Proseco together. This dressing works well with light summer salads or you can even use it as a marinade for meat. Feel free to add things like spices, onions, and garlic, too.

5. Proseco Punch

You know how a lot of standard punch recipes use ginger ale? Well, why not substitute that for Proseco? Instead of doing a straight substitute, you can also leave some ginger ale in the recipe and just substitute it for a little Proseco. For example, if the recipe calls for 4 cups of ginger ale, you can use 2 cups of Proseco and 2 cups of ginger ale.

6. Proseco Sangria

Most Sangria recipes call for wine. Instead of use wine, substitute it for Proseco. Or you can substitute some of the wine for Proseco. It tends to lighten up the beverage and gives it a nice fizzy quality.

Do you have any ideas for using Proseco?

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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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5 Things to Do with Pesto

June 23rd 2010 06:51

Writing about keeping a fresh herb garden reminded me that I love pesto and that it is one dish that you simply can't use dried herbs for. I like to keep a tub of fresh pesto in the fridge because it offers a quick enhancement for a variety of meals and snacks. Here are my top ideas.

1. Toss Pesto in Pasta
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Posted By: Katherine Huether - Category: No Category

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February 15th 2010 20:18

You see - I love to cook, I like to eat. So - it seems rather limiting to keep this blog ONLY about Mediterranean cooking, right? For example, I'll be staring a fairly strict clean eating program tomorrow so that I can lose a lot of weight - I think it would be fun to talk about the food I'm eating and preparing.

I did promise you a series on pasta dishes and it is well underway so don't worry - I will be finishing that soon. But I just wanted to let you know that there will be some slight changes here at this blog

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