Recipes you should know volume 2
Cheese-stuffed fried olives, shaved tomatoes over burrata, and more from August
Welcome to your monthly roundup of all the dishes I shared on Instagram last month that didn’t make it to my newsletter. We’re going heavy on late summer produce with zucchini, tomatoes, more zucchini, and a tomato risotto that is not my recipe but you must make before the season ends. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
Cheese-Stuffed Fried Olives
Warm, crispy, cheese-filled olives and a cold glass of wine — could a more perfect aperitivo exist? These are actually pretty easy to make and a definite crowd-pleaser. Opt for low-moisture mozzarella, as it’s a bit easier to stuff into the olives and melts beautifully. I created this recipe in collaboration with Gratsi and I think their white wine is an ideal complement here.
1 8-oz jar large, pitted olives (about 25-30 total)
4 oz low moisture mozzarella cheese
2⁄3 cup flour
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
1⁄4 cup parmigiano cheese
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper
Oil for cooking
Lemon wedges for serving
Drain olives and set aside to dry. Slice your mozzarella into very small rectangles that are the size of the space inside your pitted olives. Stuff each olive with a piece of cheese.
Place your flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs in three separate bowls. Season the flour with a little bit of salt and pepper and stir to combine. Beat the eggs with a little salt. Add parmigiano, dried parsley, garlic powder, a little salt, and pepper to breadcrumbs and stir to combine. Note: because the olives are already salty, you don’t want to overdo it with the salt in this step.
Dredge the stuffed olives by first coating in flour, then egg wash, then breadcrumbs.
In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat 1 inch of neutral cooking oil over medium-high heat. Fry the olives in batches of 5-8 olives for 3-5 minutes, until golden brown all over. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
To serve, drizzle with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and enjoy hot with a glass of cold wine. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
Grilled Zucchini with Hazelnut Salsa Verde and Labneh
One of my favorite ways to eat zucchini is grilled. I just think it brings out the veggie’s natural sweetness so well. Here, we’re taking simply grilled zucchini spears to the next level with a generous swish of labneh and a flavor-packed Italian-style salsa verde with a bit of added crunch thanks to hazelnuts.
Serves: 4
Cook time: 10 minutes, plus 10 minutes prep
For the salsa verde:
1 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
juice and zest of 1 lemon
4 anchovy fillets, mashed
2 tbsp capers, chopped
1 garlic clove, microplaned
3/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
Mix together all ingredients and season generously with salt and pepper. You want a saucy, spoonable consistency.
For the zucchini:
3-4 large zucchini, about 1.5 lbs total
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp white wine, red wine, or champagne vinegar
Slice zucchinis into spears by slicing in half lengthwise, then slicing each half into four spears.
Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and vinegar.
Heat grill to medium heat, around 350°F. Place the zucchini on the grill, cover, and cook for 3 minutes. Flip and cook for 3 more minutes. You want the zucchini to be tender but not so cooked that it falls apart.
For assembly:
1 cup labneh
Spread the labneh on your serving platter. Arrange zucchini spears on top, then spoon on about half of the salsa verde. Reserve the rest for people to add more while they eat. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
Burrata with Frozen Grated Heirloom Tomatoes and Basil
I have to admit that the frozen shaved fruit/veggie trend I’ve seen all over Instagram for two summers straight is really worth the hype. First of all, it’s fun to make, and secondly it adds a cool (no pun intended) texture to otherwise traditional pairings, like tomatoes and burrata. Here, creamy burrata and grated frozen heirloom tomatoes are paired with O Olive Oil and Vinegar’s Fresh Basil Olive Oil and White Balsamic Vinegar, which both add soooo much flavor with just a drizzle of each. Add some flaky salt, basil, and crusty bread and voilà, you have an insanely delicious appetizer in five minutes.
1 ball Burrata
1-2 heirloom tomatoes, frozen overnight (I like to use a couple different colors to make the dish even more vibrant)
A generous drizzle of O Olive Oil and Vinegar Fresh Basil Olive Oil
2 tbsp of O Olive Oil and Vinegar White Balsamic Vinegar
Flaky salt, fresh ground pepper, and basil leaves for garnish
Crusty bread for serving
Place your burrata on a plate and cut open with a knife. Grate your tomatoes over the top (they’ll melt quickly, so make sure to do this right before serving). You won’t need to use all of the tomatoes, and might want to reserve some for adding later as you enjoy the dish – kind of like an extra sprinkling of parm on your pasta. Drizzle O olive oil and vinegar and top with flaky salt, fresh ground pepper, and basil leaves.
Fried Zucchini Chips with Tzatziki
The secret to the crispiest fried zucchini? Soda water. I find that a batter made with soda water and flour is light as air and turns the humble zucchini (or, honestly, any veggie) into a crunchy, delectable little snack. I serve these with a side of homemade tzatziki for all the Greek summer vibes.
For the tzatziki:
1 large persian cucumber, grated (you want about 1/2 cup grated cucumber)
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 garlic clove, finely chopped or microplaned
2 tbsp finely chopped dill
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt
Line a colander with a clean towel or paper towels and add in the grated cucumber. Gather the cucumber in the towel or paper towels, and then squeeze out as much water as you can.
Add cucumbers to the Greek yogurt along with the rest of the ingredients and a pinch of salt and mix. Taste, and add more salt if desired. Set aside.
For the fried zucchini:
2 zucchini (about 1 lb total), thinly sliced (I used the 4.5mm setting on my mandoline)
1 cup flour
1 1/3 cup soda water
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper
Neutral oil for frying
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, soda water, and dried oregano, and season with salt and pepper.
Heat a couple inches oil over medium to medium-high heat in a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Once oil is hot (you can use a droplet of the batter to test the oil), dip a handful of zucchini slices in the batter then transfer one by one to the oil, using either tongs or a fork. Working in batches, fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes depending on how hot your oil is, then flip and fry until the second side is golden brown. Remove to either a paper towel-lined plate or a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Season with salt.
Serve the fried zucchini warm with tzatziki on the side. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
Not My Recipes, But You Should Definitely Make These
Andy Baraghani’s fresh tomato and parmesan risotto was a smash hit in our house. Sooo beyond delicious. I was planning on making arancini with the leftovers, but there weren’t enough! I served it with creamy burrata, a drizzle of olive oil, and some flaky salt, but honestly I almost think it might’ve been better without the burrata. Simplicity at its finest.
Hetty Lui McKinnon’s dumpling tomato salad with chili crisp vinaigrette has been on my to-make list for far too long, and I’m honestly not sure what took me so long to get around to it. It’s really an outstanding dish. Hetty recently shared another dumpling salad recipe, this one with smashed cukes and peanut dressing, that I am dying to make. (Bonus: NYT Cooking is allowing paid subscribers to share any recipe for free during September to celebrate their 10th anni, so even if you don’t subscribe you can access both of these via the links I provided.)
I was trying to find a recipe for that risotto you posted a picture of, thanks for sharing!