Antipasto in Crispy Bite Size Salami Cups

When I saw this idea for an appetizer on 

the Columbus® Facebook page, I knew I

wanted to try it out.  Of course I tweaked it just a little.

A San Francisco tradition established in 1917

Columbus® products have been a favorite in my 

family for years and years. I particularly have fond

memories around holiday time when our dad would buy and 

bring home big sticks of salami from San Francisco on the train--

for gifts and snacking. 

(His job was in San Francisco and he commuted each weekday

 to and from our home on the SF Peninsula for dozens of years.

It was always treat to meet him at the train station at 5:25pm as he

stepped down from the train, neatly

dressed in suit and tie ~ briefcase in hand . . . 

 especially on the days when he had those big

paper-wrapped sticks of salami tucked under his arm! )

To make the 'cups' the pre-sliced Genoa Salame

works best because the diameter is larger than regular 

salame so it is easier to work with 

(the slices tend to shrink when baked.)

To bake, pre-heat oven to 375ºF. Tuck one slice

of salami into a small mold and press in.

I used these little Brioche molds but mini-muffin pans

work very well too. I found that sandwiching the

salami slice between two molds helps them hold their

shape while baking.

 If you have 2 identical muffin pans, put the

salami in the cups of one and carefully stack and press the 

second pan into the first, which will help keep the 

salami in place while baking.

Alternately, you can make small 'balls' out of aluminum foil and

place/press each of them down upon the salami slices in each mold ~

then bake. Personally I feel that is really wasteful, 

and would just skip this recipe and serve antipasto 

on a platter or plates instead.

Bake for 10 minutes or so. The salami will begin to

hold the shape of the mold as it begins to crisp in the

oven. It's best not to over-bake or the salami cups 

may shatter when it's time to fill them. 

(Hint: Place the molds or muffin pans on

a parchment or silicone lined rimmed baking sheet to catch

any drippings.)

When baked, remove from oven, allow to cool a moment,

it's helpful to turn molds or muffin pan upside down

to finish cooling. Before they are completely cool 

remove the 'top' mold or muffin pan.

You can make the "cups" a few hours up to one day

ahead, storing in air tight container.

Next, choose the fillings for the cups, 

just gather your favorites from

items found on the antipasto platter.

I chose:

 Black olives (brined), pitted and sliced in half

Pepperoncini, sliced

Roasted red pepper, sliced into small pieces

Marinated artichoke hearts, cut into small pieces

And some cheese goes really well in these cups.

I used the tiny, fresh 'perline' mozzarella ("pearls"),

but you can just cut other mozzarella into small

cubes. Or use another favorite cheese.

The cups themselves are rather salty and I think the

mozzarella is a good smooth contrast to the saltiness of

the other ingredients.

There are plenty of other options for fillings,

here are just a few:

Garbanzo beans (from the can, or home-cooked)

Sun dried tomato slivers

Pimento stuffed olives / other olives

Tiny cocktail onions

Small chunks of tuna or slivers of anchovy

Feta or Gorgonzola cheese crumbles

Scallions (thinly sliced)

Grape or Cherry tomatoes (sliced)

Fresh red or green bell pepper (slivered)

Marinated mushrooms (drained, and sliced if large)

Golden or brown raisins, (a few in each cup adds a nice contrast of flavors)

Bits of fresh parsley or basil leaves

Capers

Sliced tiny pickles

Slivers of red onion

Thin slices of carrot

Truly, whatever strikes your fancy.

~*~*~*~*~

How do you spell it?

Salami or Salame?

You be the judge ~ 

it seems there are varying thoughts here in the U.S.

One explanation from Wikipedia. (click)

photo credit: wikipedia

Antique Hungarian Salami Poster

Use your favorite brand of Salami in the recipe ~ I prefer the Genoa

type simply because of it's larger size; uncooked the kind I used

is about 3 1/4-inches in diameter, after being put in the mold

(plus shrinkage during baking) the cups are about 2 1/2-inch in

diameter measured from the widest points at the top of

the salami "cups".

If you make these, I hope you like them.

Thank you for stopping by, your comments make my day!

~Mari :)

(Full disclosure:  No recognition or reimbursement of any kind 

has been received from Columbus® products for featuring

their products in this post. I just happen to like their products.)

Pasta with Cauliflower-Tomato Sauce (Slow Cooker Friendly) & Crunchy Bread Crumbs

Michele Scicolone, one of my favorite cookbook authors,  
posted a  Spicy Cauliflower Pasta Sauce made in 
the slower cooker on her Facebook page a few days ago ~ 
it sounded interesting and I had the small head 
of cauliflower on hand . . .  I'm sure you can guess the rest!

As usual, I was compelled to change it a little to suit my 
own taste, although you may like it just as Michele posted it.
It's healthful, low in fat and vegetarian friendly.
Plus it's easy on the budget.

I'll post Michele's way, plus my changes over on my

recipe blog so you can make it the way you like.  

Michele's original recipe calls for

a small head of cauliflower, a large can of crushed tomatoes,

water, olive oil, garlic, a little dried oregano, salt and red pepper flakes.

During the last few minutes I added some chopped, marinated

artichoke hearts, and some brined capers.  (I also had a bit

of Trader Joe's Artichoke Tapenade left over so I stirred

that in as well . . . you know, waste not - want not.)

Since we're not so keen on really spicy food any longer,

I cut the amount of red pepper flakes and only added

the tiniest pinch. Perfect!

For the crumb topping : 

Bread crumbs, a little olive oil, anchovy fillets, and

freshly ground black pepper. (Please don't let the

anchovies put you off ~  as they truly enhance this dish!)

If you don't have anchovies on hand (or cannot 

tolerate them), you can substitute fresh garlic and a little

sea or kosher salt instead. But I prefer the anchovies,

and I promise you, you'll barely notice their presence 

because they are cooked in a little olive oil until they nearly

dissolve and the flavor mellows, enhancing the oil, 

then added to the crumbs and sauteed gently until the

crumbs turn crisp and golden brown. Yum! 

This is an excellent condiment on other pasta dishes and

steamed/sauteed vegetables or grilled chicken/fish, too.

 I always make extra and store in an airtight container in

the fridge, ready to use and it keeps almost indefinitely

in the fridge, even longer in the freezer.

 

I think it would be safe to say that you and those you

 cook for would probably have to favor

rather assertive flavors to really enjoy this dish... 
Kraft Mac and Cheese® it's not.  ;)

I thought it was very good; quite low in fat

(but not lacking flavor.)

If you would like a printable copy of the recipe,
please jump on over to my recipe blog
right here.


Thank you for stopping today ~
I love your comments!

~Mari  :)

Spooky Eye-Popping Soup for Halloween

I saw this presentation on Home is Where the Boat is,  a wonderfully creative blog by my friend Mary.   If you're not familiar with Mary's blog I urge you to go visit, you're in for a treat!

For the Spooky Eye-Popping Soup I made a recipe similar to this one;  I used half lean ground beef and half Italian sausage,  fusilli instead of tortellini, omitted basil leaves ~  I used a couple of pinches of dried oregano instead,  and chopped the vegetables into small dice just so the 'eyes'  would get most of the attention.  




If you would like an even simpler soup you may like this one,  directions for making the eyeballs can be found here as well.  I simply used bite size mozzarella (bocconcini) and placed  thin slices of stuffed green olives on them to resemble  pupils and irises. 

It's a fun and flavorful soup to help get everyone in the mood for Halloween.


Thank you for stopping by today friends ~ Have a BOO-tiful week!  :)
~mari xo

Cheesy "Pizza" Broccoli

I didn't want to serve the same ol' steamed, or stir-fried broccoli, then I remembered a recipe similar to this one, by Daphe Oz (Dr. Oz's daughter), from her lifestyle/cooking book "Relish"
Click image to learn more about the book. It's a perfect choice for college students, young singles and newlyweds. I'm none of those and I like it too. :)

Daphne's version is even more simple than the one I devised (no roasted tomatoes/garlic/red onions or mozzarella in her version)  but this one is a lot more flavorful, in my opinion.

By now, if you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I love cooking intuitively ~ that is with a basic recipe in my head, and then letting the creative juices flow!  This is another one of those, and you can adjust it to suit your own taste.



Easy and flavorful, here's what you'll need for the basic recipe:
Cherry or Roma Tomatoes Salt, Freshly ground black pepper Olive oil (or oil of your choice)
Dried oregano leaves 1 or 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced Red pepper flakes Half an onion, slivered Fresh Broccoli Spears Grated Mozzarella Cheese Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Optional: Lemon wedges Fresh oregano or basil leaves (Extras ~ see below)
Method:
Place rack in center of oven, preheat to 400ºF.
Wash and cut in half a couple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes, or as many as you want to make a single layer~  (you can use quartered Roma tomatoes or a similar variety;  tomatoes that are not too juicy work best in this recipe.) In a shallow baking dish toss them with some olive oil, sea salt and  a little freshly ground black pepper.
Place pan in oven and roast tomatoes for 10 to 12 minutes (make take longer, depending upon your oven and the baking dish you are using.) Scatter 1 or 2 sliced garlic cloves, half of a slivered onion (white, yellow, red/purple), a couple of generous pinches of dried oregano, and a couple of pinches of  red pepper flakes (optional), give a stir to coat with oil and continue roasting for 10 to 12 minutes ~ it's okay if some tomatoes begin to char.
While tomatoes are roasting, steam broccoli spears until just crisp tender. Remove tomato pan from oven, arrange broccoli over tomatoes, add a little s & p if desired,  sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese (as much or as little as you like),  sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and place back in oven, or under hot broiler until cheese is melted and begins to bubble.  Remove from oven allow to cool for a moment, sprinkle with a few  fresh oregano or basil leaves. Serve with lemon wedges if desired.



Add any of these optional ingredients if you like: (to be added during second half of roasting tomatoes, or upon serving, as garnish):
sliced or halved flavorful black olives roasted red pepper slivers or pieces marinated mushrooms sliced green onions (scallions) cured anchovy fillets marinated artichoke hearts cooked Italian sausage crumbles, torn prosciutto, etc.   ~ almost anything goes!




Colorful and tasty, it makes a fine main course or a great side dish for simply prepared meat, poultry or fish.
Gluten-Free and Vegetarian friendly, too.

Bon Appétit! And thank you for visiting today!

xo~mari

Rustic and Hearty Tuscan-style Soup

When damp, chilly weather arrives we crave warming soup at my house, and this one is right up there among the top favorites. I've shared this one before and I understand it's similar to, (or a copycat version of) Toscana soup as served at the Olive Garden restaurant. I can't vouch for that as I've never had it there.
Even though I enjoy soup at any time of year,  I only make this particular recipe when the temperatures are cool ~ it's very hearty and filling, almost like a stew.




As you can see, the ingredient list is simple; no exotic items and surprisingly, for such a flavorful outcome, you don't need to add extra seasoning except for some salt and freshly ground black pepper.
I always increase the amount of veggies in the recipe as I prefer this soup chunky, and we all know they are good for us. :)

 

You can have this on your table within about 30 minutes. It's wonderful eaten straight after cooking it, and as with most soups it is fabulous reheated the next day. When reheating I usually add more of the greens just to liven up the color a bit.



It won't win any prizes for beauty, but for what it lacks in visual appeal it more than compensates in satisfying flavor.  I hope you'll give this one a try, it has to be among my top favorite 5 soups --- maybe in the top 3.
You can get the printable copy of the recipe over on my recipe site.

I'm so happy you came by to visit, have a lovely day!
~ mari  

Garden Vegetables and Italian Sausage Spiedini

If you planted a vegetable garden this year you might find, as the season winds down, that you are left with odds and ends, maybe not quite enough of any one thing to make a recipe.
One of the things that we like to do is cube up the vegetables, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast them off until done to our liking. At this point you can cool, place the veggies in a bowl, add a little wine vinegar (or your favorite) and toss with some fresh herbs, additional raw tomatoes, peppers, etc.
It's delicious as a accompaniment alongside the main course; excellent with meat, poultry or fish, or tossed with some cooked pasta; served hot or room temperature.



The other thing I like to do when I have just a few remnants from the garden, is cut or slice into appropriate size for grilling, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and grill. Most recently I had some Japanese eggplant, zucchini, Italian peppers, and Bell peppers. I also had some cherry tomatoes (which were oven roasted earlier-- I had set some aside from making another dish) and ripe yellow tomatoes.



I wanted to assemble it all into Spiedini. You probably know that Spiedini are the Italian equivalent of Shish Kebabs (a Turkish meal on a stick.)
I sliced some partially boiled* and cooled Italian Sausage into 1 1/2-inch pieces and skewered them; alternating with red onion pieces and Italian Peppers, brushed them with olive oil and set on the grill. You will want to turn them every few minutes for even grilling.
*Well, not actually "boiled"; I just place the whole sausages in a skillet with about 1 to 1-1/2 inches of cool water, bring to a gentle simmer over medium to medium high heat. You can pierce the sausage casings with a toothpick or tip of a sharp knife to allow some of the fat to escape and to prevent the  casing from bursting. I allow them to just barely simmer for a couple of minutes, turning once. Cook just enough for the sausage to lose the pink,  as they will finish cooking on the grill. Allow them to cool a bit before slicing into portions (as they will slice in a neater fashion when cooled.)



Alongside the skewers on the grill, I placed some Japanese eggplant  and zucchini-- sliced diagonally (to make a larger suface area)  about 1/2-inch thick, and brushed with olive oil,  and sprinkled with salt)  then grilled until tender.

When it comes time to serve you can either serve the grilled skewers (everything left on the skewer) accompanied by the eggplant, roasted cherry tomatoes, and diced fresh tomato and sprinkle  with fresh herbs if desired.  
This time I served appetizer-size portions on small plates.   If you have access to really good Italian sausages, and happily I do-- I like to serve this as is ~ because it's really flavorful.   You can also serve with a squeeze of lemon or drizzle with your favorite vinaigrette. 
Good for a party or get together as you can assemble and prepare ahead, then just grill everything when you're ready.




Other summer squash would work well in this preparation, just cut to shape/size that you can skewer securely.
Cubes of chicken, beef, pork, seafood or prawns are fabulous served this way too.




I do love Fall, however I am sad to see Summer winding down (but I do not think any of us will miss the forest fires.)
I hope you are having a good week~
~mari  xoxo

Caprese Salad to go . . .

To me, the flavors and colors of Salad Caprese are the essence of  summer  ~ Vine ripened tomatoes, fresh Mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, red wine vinegar, good olive oil and salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Usually it is neatly arranged either stacked, or in fanned layers of sliced tomatoes and slices of Mozzarella, then drizzled with dressing and showered with chopped basil leaves.
It's a beautiful presentation when served that way,  but a little fussy to serve on a picnic or on the buffet table. I've made it served on skewers, but that is a little time consuming especially if you have to make many of them.




This version has all of the glorious flavors, and is easy to serve on the buffet table plus it travels well.
Just halve the little tomatoes, cut the Mozzarella into cubes, or buy the little "pearl" size as I did. Add some minced parsley, the red wine vinegar and olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
This time I added some capers in brine (drained). Sliced scallions, chives or slivers of sweet red onion are also a good addition.
I pluck the smallest basil leaves and add them just before serving in order to retain their bright color and flavor.





It's best served at room temperature to enjoy the full goodness of all the flavors.

~*~*~*~*~ Additional ways to enjoy it: Bobby Flay does a very similar version which he serves as a rough 'relish' with grilled Italian sausages on rolls.  I probably would cut the tomatoes and cheese into smaller pieces in that case, for easier eating, but I'm sure these flavors would taste delicious on grilled sausage or chicken.
If you give it a try, I hope you love it.


Thank you for coming by today!
Cheers ~ mari xo