Zizi's Adventures - Real Food, Real Stories

Tomato Bruschetta And A Little Bit Of Sunny Tuscany

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In the last few years we traveled to Tuscany a few times – thanks to our friends, Giulia’s and Emiko’s invitations – but I didn’t write about these experiences on my blog. Two years ago we spent a few days in Cecina with our dear foodie friends: Emiko, Giulia, Karin and Regula.

Cooking together with friends is always so much fun and it’s a great way to learn something new. I gained so much inspirations from these trips, I learnt many new recipes so I would like to share a few of them with you (step by step). The first one is bruschetta… one of the best ways to enjoy the bounty of summer. A delicious and easy appetizer that captures the flavors of ripened tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, and good quality olive oil.

I’m so sad because it looks like summer is really over here in Hungary… We can still buy sun-ripened tomatoes at the markets so until the season is over make sure to make tomato bruschetta at least once!

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Tomato Bruschetta
(Recipe: from Giulia’s second cookbook, I Love Toscana)

Ingredients

– few slices of sourdough bread, toasted
– 400 g riped tomatoes, chopped
– 2 cloves garlic, chopped
– extra virgin olive oil
– fresh basil, chopped
– salt, freshly ground black pepper

Method

Put the chopped tomatoes into a large bowl, season with salt and pepper, the chopped garlic and basil, plus add a few tablespoons of olive oil. Make this well in advance, allowing a few hours to let the tomatoes infuse the flavour. Leave the bowl covered in the fridge.

If you are ready to serve the bruschetta, spoon the tomatoes over slices of toasted bread. Drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil.

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Few photos of the trip…

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IMG_4218_aMaking authentic bruschetta

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Cecina

Kale Tempeh Salad

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I cooked tempeh before but I still would like to try more tempeh recipes because I really love this ingredient. I didn’t know that tempeh comes originally from Indonesia (especially popular on the island of Java, where it is a staple source of protein). It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form.

Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but it is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities. Tempeh’s fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean give it a higher content of protein, dietary fiber, and vitamins. It has a firm texture and an earthy flavor which becomes more pronounced as it ages. Because of its nutritional value, tempeh is used worldwide in vegetarian and cuisine.

This salad is very easy to make and if you would like to make it more filling, cook brown rice, quinoa or millet and serve it with the salad.

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Kale Tempeh Salad

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the salad
– a bunch of kale, leaves removed and torn into small pieces
– 2-3 spring onion, chopped
– 1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
– 1/4 cup walnut, toasted in a dry pan and chopped
– 250 g tempeh, cut into small cubes
– 1 tablespoon soy sauce
– 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
– 1 teaspoon honey
– salt, pepper
– olive oil

For the dressing
– 2 tablespoons olive oil
– 2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
– 1 teaspoon honey
– 1 clove garlic, chopped
– 2 tablespoons tahini
– 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
– salt, pepper
– chili flakes
– water

Method

Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil and roast tempeh cubes for a few minutes. Add soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, honey and cook for 2-3 minutes and set aside.

In a bowl mix together olive oil, lemon juice, honey and garlic for the dressing. Season with salt, pepper, then add tahini, nutritional yeast, chili flakes and dilute with a bit of water.

Place kale leaves, parsley, sprin onion and walnut on a plate. Add roasted tempeh and sprinkle with the dressing.

Spicy Butternut Squash Lentil Salad

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I love butternut squash. It’s a versatile vegetable that can be roasted, toasted, puréed for soups, or mashed and used in casseroles, breads, and muffins and cakes. I love that the squash has a sweet, nutty taste. It is also a good source of Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium and Magnesium, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese. We should eat as much as we can during fall and winter.

This lentil salad is a good example to eat a bowl of healthy lunch full of protein, vitamins and minerals.  Did you know that lentils have the third-highest level of protein, by weight, of any legume or nut, after soybeans and hemp?

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Spicy Butternut Squash Lentil Salad

Ingredients (serves 2)

– 1 and 1/4 cups brown lentils
– 3 cups (about 430 g) peeled and cubed butternut squash
– 1 avocado, peeled, deseeded and cubed
– 1/2 red onion, chopped
– 4 tablespoons olive oil
– 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
– 1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

Soak the lentils for at least 3 hours (or overnight). Drain then put into a pan with fresh water and a pinch of salt and cook for about 20-30 minutes until tender.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

In a bowl mix together cubed butternut squash with 3 tablespoons olive oil, cinnamon, salt and chili powder. Place the mixture in the baking tray and bake at 170-180C (350F) until tender (about 20 minutes).

In a bowl mix together cooked lentils, baked butternut squash, chopped red onion and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season to your taste. Serve with avocado.

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Roasted Eggplant With Tahini Yoghurt Sauce

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I’m sharing a Middle-Eastern recipe with you today. It’s called baba ganoush and a dish of eggplant (aubergine) mashed and mixed with virgin olive oil and various seasonings. The Arabic term means “father of pestle”. Baba ganoush can be an appetizer or starter but also a side dish or salad. It is made of roasted, peeled, and mashed eggplant, blended with tahini, garlic, salt and lemon juice. Cumin and chili powder can be added.

The eggplant is first roasted, then the softened flesh is scooped out, squeezed or salted to remove excess water and then is pureed with tahini. There are many variants of the recipe, especially the seasoning. I learnt this version from a Japanese friend of mine, Maki.

I didn’t scoope out the softened flesh, I served it in the eggplant skin and I made a tahini lemon yoghurt sauce to go with it. I served it with Arabic bread and a big bowl of salad.

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At the end of August we spent a a long weekend with friends at a wonderful place, called Lake Balaton like last year. During the weekend I was responsible for the salads and side dishes to make. I had many helping hands (I needed) to cook everything while I was also nursing my son. 🙂

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Roasted Eggplant With Tahini Yoghurt Sauce

Ingredients (serves 6)

– 2 large eggplants, halved the long way
– 6 tablespoons + 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
– 400 g soy yoghurt / yoghurt
– 4 tablespoons tahini
– 1/2 teaspoon cumin
– juice of 1 lemon
– 1 clove garlic, chooped
– 1 small bunch of parsley, chopped
– salt
– sesame seeds, for garnish

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Place eggplant halves on a glass baking pan lined with paper. With a sharp knife, cut crisscross vents about 1 cm (0,39 inch) apart across the flesh. Drizzle olive oil on top, sprinkle with a few pinches of salt, then bake in the oven for approximately 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl mix together yoghurt, tahini, 4 teaspoons olive oil, chopped garlic and parsley (leave a bit for garnish), lemon juice, cumin. Season with salt.

Serve the eggplant halves with the sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds and the remaining parsley. Also serve with pita as a spread or as a side dish with steamed brown rice and salad.

Salad Niçoise

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Salad Niçoise is a French composed salad of tomatoes, green beans, tuna, hard-boiled eggs, Niçoise olives, and anchovies, dressed with a vinaigrette. It is served variously on a plate, platter, or in a bowl, with or without a bed of lettuce. The salad hails from Nice, on the Mediterranean Sea. This is a vegetarian version without tuna and anchovies (and minus the tomatoes).

It is an exceptional delicious and filling salad – with plenty going on. Come on… give it a try!

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I took the photos before adding the black olives! 🙂

Salad Niçoise

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the salad
– 250 g new potatoes, cut the larger ones in half or smaller
– 100 g French beans, cut into roughly 2-3 cm lengths
– 2 organic eggs
– 1 medium head of a lettuce (I used Salanova), lettuce leaves washed and separated
– small handful of black olives, pitted
– salt, freshly ground black pepper

For the dressing
– 1 clove garlic, crushed
– 2 tablespoons olive oil
– 1/2 teaspoon apple vinegar
– 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
– a pinch of salt

Method

Cook the potatoes in salted water for 8-12 minutes until tender, adding the beans for the last 4 minutes. Drain, tip into a bowl and leave to cool.

Cook the eggs in a pan of water for 7 minutes. Leave to cool, then peel and quarter the eggs.

To make the dressing, put all the ingredients into a small bowl, season with salt and pepper and whisk until emulsified.

In a bowl add the potatoes, the beans and some of the dressing. Toss gently together.

In another bowl toss the lettuce leaves with a little of the dressing. Arrange the lettuce, potatoes and beans on a serving plate and distribute the olives and eggs over the salad. Trickle over the remaining dressing and grind over some black peper. Serve straight away!