Zucchini and Prosciutto Frittata

Frittatas are one of my favorite meals to make and are easy to whip up for a speedy mid-week dinner. A frittata is a type of Italian omelette with additional ingredients such as meats, cheeses, and vegetables. They make a great antipasto and are just as delicious the next day for breakfast or brunch. What a colorful dish to serve!

Serves 2
recipe from TasteItalia magazine

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 small zucchini, finely sliced
1/2 red pepper, seeds removed and chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
70g prosciutto, chopped into pieces
2 small potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
100g Parmesan, grated

Preheat oven to 180c (350f). Grease a baking dish (8 x 12cm, about 4cm deep). Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes. Next add the zucchini, pepper and potatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes. Spread the vegetables over the base of the baking dish. Scatter chopped prosciutto over vegetables.

Whisk together the eggs, milk and some salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir in the Parmesan, then pour over the vegetables, shaking the dish to allow the egg mixture to spread evenly over the base. Bake 25-30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes, then cut into pieces. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The Culinary Chase's Note: Amazing flavors coming from this dish and the variations are numerous. Check out cooksrecipes.com for additional frittata recipes.

Melon, Ham and Mozzarella Salad

What a perfect dish to salute summer! A simple, no-fuss salad that is sure to satisfy the most demanding foodie. Traditional fresh mozzarella is usually sold in containers of brine, shaped into delicate balls. Fresh mozzarella can be purchased in Italian specialty shops, cheese markets, and some natural foods and grocery stores. Originally made from the milk of water buffalo, and called mozzarella di bufala, mozzarella is now most often made from cows’ milk, and is referred to as fior di latte. However, once you've experienced buffalo mozzarella, there's a big difference in taste and personally I enjoy buffalo mozzarella over fior di latte . Parma ham is a type of dry-cured ham from the Parma region of Italy. It is one of the most well-known varieties of prosciutto crudo.

Serves 2
recipe from TasteItalia magazine

1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium Cantaloupe melon
6 slices of Parma ham
6 baby balls or 1 large ball of Mozzarella di Bufala
handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
50-75g rocket
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix the lemon juice and olive oil together in a bowl and season lightly. Cut the melon into thick slices, then remove and discard the seeds, retaining as much of the juice as possible. Cut the flesh into large chunks and place in a bowl. Tear or cut the ham into wide strips. Break the small mozzarella balls in half or if you are using a large ball cut it into thick slices. Add the Parma ham and mozzarella to the melon. Add parsley to half of the lemon and oil dressing and toss this well with the melon mixture.

Wash the rocket leaves and dress them with the remaining lemon and oil mixture. Divide the rocket between two large plates, top with the melon salad and serve immediately.

The Culinary Chase's Note: So light and fresh with flavors that shout summer is here! It's important to use Buffalo mozzarella as this cheese is very soft with a stringy texture when torn apart (what I did for this salad) and it's this texture that helps give the salad a creamy taste. Enjoy!

Seafood Linguine

What I like most about this dish is that it's easy to prepare and quick to cook. You can have all the ingredients prepared in the time it takes to cook the linguine. Linguine is flat like fettuccine but narrow like spaghetti and is often served with seafood or pesto.


Serves 4
recipe by Jo Pratt from Saturday Kitchen

500g dried linguine
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
415g can of lobster or white crab meat
450g peeled raw king prawns
good splash of brandy
4 ripe tomatoes, seeds removed and finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
100ml double cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 long red chili, seeds removed and finely chopped
2 tablespoon chopped flatleaf parsley

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to packet instructions, or until just cooked through (al dente). While the pasta is cooking, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan and add the onion and chili. Cook for about five minutes, until softened, but not browned. Add prawns, brandy, cream and tomato paste. Simmer for 5 minutes then stir in tomatoes until heated through.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes, until softened. Add the lobster or crab meat and toss in the pan until it is heated through. Add lobster meat to the prawn sauce. Toss in the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper. Drain the pasta and add to the lobster sauce. Serve immediately.

The Culinary Chase's Note: Chili was a welcomed ingredient with just a hint of heat without erasing the other lovely flavors. For more of an Asian taste, finely chop one tablespoon of lemongrass and use coriander instead of parsley.

OPUS, Bangkok

Saturday night my husband and I went to a new Italian restaurant. OPUS was highly recommended to us by a friend of my husband's and his recommendation was spot on! I hadn't planned on posting a review of OPUS but the whole dining experience we encountered was simply fabulous. Good friends of ours, Vicki and Jim, joined us as well and we spent four easy hours conversing, eating, drinking, consuming more food and wine and before we knew it, it was already 11:30pm.

OPUS wine bar and restaurant, set in a beautiful Thai style villa, offers a place for Bangkok’s oenophiles to enjoy over 200 labels. OPUS opened in January 2009 and managing director, Alex Morabito, is passionate about his wines and is very familiar with Italian wines from all the regions of Italy. He takes great pride in his wine cellar and will help you pair wine with the dishes you chose.

As you enter the restaurant, your eye quickly scans the glassed-in wine cellar at the back. A bar to the left fills the wall and high wine-tasting tables with high leather chairs complimented by a couple of cream leather couches next to the cellar are the prime drinking spots. In the front of the house is another dining area, a minimalist but warm spot, with lower and more traditional dining furniture.

The food is traditional Italian. To whet your appetite, order the (warm) tapas platter which includes Arancini (fried spicy rice balls), juicy calamari, skewers of tenderloin, fried mushrooms and shrimp. OPUS pastas are homemade and the rolled pasta I had with beef ragù was heavenly! My husband had the swordfish and was savoring each mouthful. Vicki chose sea bass which looked as though it came out of a gourmet food magazine. Jim and Vicki also shared the seared foie gras which was consumed with a smile.

The Culinary Chase's Note: We were warmly greeted by Alex and our evening started off in the wine bar area sipping Prosecco. After a couple of drinks we moved to our table for dinner. The food and service was great and the evening was capped off by homemade limoncillo! I have never tasted a homemade version and let me tell you, this was bellissimo!

Mallorca Tumbet

Tumbet is a traditional recipe from Mallorca (Majorca). It's a rustic vegetable dish that's like a Provencal ratatouille and is presented in a way that it resembles a pie without a crust. So colorful and full of vitamins and minerals. How could anyone not want to eat this!

Serves 4 (as a starter or side dish)
recipe from Delicious magazine

3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
100ml olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeds removed, finely chopped
400g can crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
4 slim eggplants, thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeds removed and cut into thin strips

Cook garlic in 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan over low heat for 1 minutes. Add fresh and canned tomatoes and the oregano. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Preheat oven for 180c. Heat 2 tablespoons of remaining oil in small frypan over low heat and fry potato slices on both sides until golden. Arrange on a base of a 24 x 20cm baking dish. Increase heat to medium-high and fry eggplant in same oil for 1-2 minutes each side or until browned, drain, then arrange them on top of the potatoes. Add remaining oil and fry peppers for 2-3 minutes, then arrange over the eggplant. Spoon tomato sauce over top of vegetables and bake in oven for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbling. Remove from oven and serve warm or at room temperature, drizzled with olive oil.

The Culinary Chase's Note: Oh how I love the flavors coming from this dish! Make sure the potato slices are thinner than the other vegetables, so everything will be cooked at the same time. If there's any left over, it's excellent cold. Simple and fresh and very Mediterranean!

Sole and Rocket Parcels

I know there are concerns about eating fish that might have mercury contamination but I also feel that moderation is key especially when you weigh the health benefits of including fish in your diet. Omega-3 fatty acids have been known as essential to normal growth and health since the 1930s, awareness of their health benefits has dramatically increased in the past few years. Omega 3 fatty acids are poly-unsaturated fatty acids. Studies show that a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids may help lower triglycerides and increase HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol). Omega 3 fatty acids may also act as an anticoagulant to prevent blood from clotting. Several other studies also suggest that these fatty acids may help lower high blood pressure. The above chart is from seattlepi.com.

Serves 6
recipe from TasteItalia

3 medium-sized lemon soles, filleted and skinned
50g rocket leaves, coarsely chopped
6 thin slices of speck
salt and freshly ground white pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 220c. Lay the sole fillets out flat on a board, place a slice of speck on top of each one, then season and sprinkle with chopped rocket. Roll the fillets up and arrange the parcels in an oiled ovenproof dish. Drizzle with oil and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.

The Culinary Chase's Note: The smoky flavor of the speck coupled with the peppery rocket makes this delicate fish mouth watering. Keep an eye on the cooking time as 15 minutes was too long for my oven. If you can't find speck, you can also use prosciutto. Sole fillets are a quick and easy to whip up when short of time.

Cobb Salad

I had recently purchased a book called, Working the Plate and saw how lovely this salad was presented. It inspired me to want to make it. The Cobb salad is a garden salad created by Robert Cobb and was a signature menu item of the legendary Brown Derby, a landmark restaurant in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.

Serves 4
recipe from Simply Recipes

1/2 head of romaine
1/2 head of Boston lettuce
1 small bunch of frisée (curly endive)
1/2 bunch of watercress, coarse stems discarded
All lettuces should be rinsed, spun or patted dry, and coarsely chopped
6 slices of bacon
2 ripe avocados, seed removed, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 whole skinless boneless chicken breast (about 3/4 pound total), halved, cooked, and diced
1 tomato, seeded and chopped fine
2 hard-boiled large eggs, separated, the yolk finely chopped and the white finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

1/3 cup red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1-2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and pepper
2/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup finely grated Roquefort

In a large salad bowl, toss together well the various lettuces and watercress. Cook the bacon in a skillet on medium heat until crisp on both sides. Remove from skillet and lay out on paper towels to absorb the excess fat. Allow the bacon to cool. Crumble the bacon and set aside.

To compose the salad, arrange the chicken, the bacon, the tomato, and the avocado decoratively over the greens and garnish the salad with the grated egg and the chives.

In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, the mustard, and salt and pepper to taste, add the oil in a slow stream, whisking, and whisk the dressing until it is emulsified. Stir in the Roquefort. Add sugar to taste, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Whisk the dressing. Serve separately or toss in with the salad.

The Culinary Chase's Note: I can't remember ever having this salad but it certainly was a cornucopia of flavors and textures. I suggest using only 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar as I found 1/3 cup too strong even with the added sugar. That being said, it's a salad I'll definitely make again! Cheers!

Cauliflower Cheese Pasta Bake (Cavolfiore e Penne al Forno)

This dish puts a new spin on macaroni and cheese. I grew up with macaroni and cheese (like most Canadians and Americans did) eating homemade versions as well as Kraft dinner (the Kraft Company put it in a box in 1937). My Mom's recipe for macaroni and cheese came from two of her prized cookbooks; Joy of Cooking and The Fannie Farmer Cookbook which she used prolifically. The Fannie Farmer cookbook has been around since 1906 but was originally published in 1896 under the title, The Boston Cooking School Cook Book by Fannie Farmer. The Joy of Cooking has been in households since 1931. Of course macaroni and cheese is Italian dish as recipes were found from the south of Italy dating from the 13th century but not in the noodle form we know of today. Cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C as well as a good source for folate, vitamin K and dietary fiber. Cauliflower is used in many recipes and one that is delicious and quite easy to make is soup. Purée cooked cauliflower, add fennel seeds and other favorite herbs and spices and serve. Enjoy!

Serves 2
recipe from TasteItalia

1 small head of cauliflower
160g penne

Cheese Sauce:
600ml milk
50g unsalted butter
50g flour
100g mix of grated Fontina and Parmesan
1 tablespoon English mustard

Preheat oven to 190c. Cut the cauliflower into florets, then blanch in boiling water. Remove from water and set aside in a colander. Boil the penne in the water according to packet instructions.

In the meantime, to make the cheese sauce, heat the butter in a pan then add the flour gradually to the melted butter. Stir vigorously for a minute. Remove pan from heat and stir in the milk. Place back on the heat and increase temperature, whisking the milk mixture continuously as it thickens. Bring to the boil, by which time it should have thickened, then stir in the cheese and mustard. Season to taste. Drain the penne and tip into the colander with the cauliflower. Carefully toss together, then tip them both into a baking dish. Top with the cheese sauce and grate a little extra Parmesan over the top. Place in oven and cook for 30 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown.

The Culinary Chase's Note: Cheese is always a good friend to cauliflower and this dish is no exception. Try adding freshly chopped rosemary to the sauce before pouring over the cauliflower.

Duck Salad with Aged Cheddar Dressing

I never tire of salads especially those that have interesting ingredients. Eating Peking duck and duck curry are a couple of my favorites but I have to say I have always had these in a restaurant. I did cook a whole duck many, many years ago but really haven't made any attempt since then to prepare a duck dish. I surfed the web for videos on how to prepare and cook a duck breast to which I found a very easy one by Gordon Ramsay (included below).

Serves 4
recipe adapted from Metro.ca

Salad:
340g (12 oz.) spring mix or spinach
4 cooked duck breasts, thickly sliced (click here for video)
125mL (1/2 cup) green beans, trimmed and blanched
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 avocados, sliced
250ml (1 cup) shredded Old Cheddar cheese

Dressing:
60ml (1/4 cup) milk
60ml (1/4cup) shredded Aged Cheddar
60ml (1/4 cup) 15% cream
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
salt and freshly ground pepper

Dressing: In a saucepan, warm milk over medium heat, add cheese and stir to melt.
Stir in cream and continue cooking for 1 minute. Cool. Stir in honey, olive oil and Dijon mustard; beat until smooth. Stir in cider vinegar and beat again. Add salt, pepper and rosemary.

Divide salad greens evenly among 4 plates. Top with duck, green beans, tomatoes, avocado and cheese. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

The Culinary Chase's Note: The duck breast was still slightly warm and the cheddar cheese dressing mingled well with the vegetables. We had green beans the night before so I added steamed asparagus in lieu of the beans. This salad is high on the repeat list! Enjoy!