Pizza dough: Take 1

Not wanting to waste any time with those New Year's goals, I jumped on the opportunity when chef-friend-Sherry asked me to come over and make pizza dough with her. Now, as a yeast-novice, I told her I wanted to observe her every move. However, like most of our cooking endeavors, we get to talking and before I know it, whatever "we" are making is done. Therefore I am considering this my "observation" round of dough making. I did take charge of the pizza building, however. We made the dough one night with the plans to use it the next day. So into the fridge it went until I needed it. The next day, realizing I'd been sent home with 3 mini dough balls and nothing but words of encouragement, I called back for more thorough instructions. I was told to let it sit out at room temperature for about an hour, then "punch" out the air before rolling it out. (Blood pressure rising..)

I got the idea to make "personal pan pizzas" so that there would be no disagreements between me and Chris as far as the ratio of sausage to mushrooms to sun dried tomatoes. Above is Chris' pizza masterpiece- topped with an abundance of every option I gave him: spinach marinated in olive oil and garlic, mushrooms, sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and buffalo mozzarella cheese. Mine was similar, with more of an emphasis on the spinach and mushrooms. We were both very, very satisfied with our creations. This was evidenced by the fact that we communicated solely with happy noises throughout all of dinner- that sounded something like "oooohhh," "mmmmm," and "woooooww."

Attempt 2 will be taking place soon, with recipe to follow. But one recommendation from this experience: use 6 ounces of dough to make a personal pan pizza by pressing into a 9" round cake pan.

Officially Italian?...Pasta Siciliana says "yes!"

This is not the one I cooked..we gobbled it down too fast. This is the
 restaurant's down the street (i.e my competition)

Have I mentioned I am Italian? Well, only 1/4 Italian if we want to get specific, but it's the largest piece in my cultural-heritage-pie. And since it's the largest, and the only one still actively cultivated in my family, it tends to be a pretty big 25%. (And thanks to my dark hair and Italian-looking mama, people usually don't ask too many questions. My sister on the other hand...) We grew up incorporating Italian traditions into holiday meals and festivities, and Italian cooking was always encouraged. And Italian weddings- don't get me started! If you haven't been to one, you need to get yourself an Italian friend!

Anyway, I just enjoyed a wonderful week-long visit with my former roommate and Resident Expert (RE), who flew all the way to Italy to come hang with me! And if you recall, RE has a pretty restricted diet, so I knew we would be packing meals and eating home-prepared foods daily. It's amazing how much fun you can have in Italy sans pasta and pizza..we were proof! But I admit, after being immersed in Southern Italy for the past week, I was feeling pretty bold and couragous when she left, and that usually leads me straight to the kitchen. Pasta Siciliana was calling my name and I wanted to make it myself. Now, you know I was running on adrenalline because I didn't have a recipe to go by. I just know what's in it: tomatoes, eggplant, olive oil, fresh mozzarrella and beautiful rigatoni pasta. (Here, whenever something is called _____"Siciliana" it means it has an eggplant sauce.)

So armed with my Alice Waters The Art of Simple Food,  a bottle of wine (mostly for cooking, people), and an optimistic attitude, I began. (Chris and I also had the unspoken arrangement that we would be eating eggs and waffles if this plan bombed.) But luckily, it did not. This was, if I may say so, a dish that will give any Italian restaurant a run for their money. It is not, however, something to whip up on a quick night you don't feel like cooking. It took a little time and lots of pans. Here we go:

Pasta Siciliana ala Heather

Ingredients:

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (divided)
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 lb eggplant (1 small)
4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese (the kind packed in water); thinly sliced
12 ounces penne or rigatoni pasta (I used whole wheat)

1. Slice eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds. Salt each side and set in a colander for 20 minutes to extract excess moisture. Then, lay slices on paper towel or clean kitchen towel and blot both sides to remove water. cut rounds into thin strips.

2. Next, heat 1 Tbs olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 1-2 minutes until garlic softens.

3. Add red wine, tomato sauce, and oregeno to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Then, quickly reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 20-30 minutes. Sauce will thicken and reduce.

4. Meanwhile, in another large skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add 1/2 of the eggplant strips. (NOTE: eggplant will almost immediately absorb all the oil in the pan. Don't be alarmed. As they fry, they will release alot of the oil back into the pan. Once about 1/2 the oil is back in the pan, the eggplant should be a nice golden brown and very soft.) Use a slotted spoon to transfer eggplant to a papertowel lined plate.

5. Add remaining oil to the pan and fry the second batch of eggplant. (You may not need to use all the reserved oil..use enough to cover the bottom of the pan about 1/8-1/4 inch.) When finished add eggplant to tomato sauce along with a small amount of the eggplant oil. Gently stir in 1/2 of the mozzarella slices. Cover pot to keep warm while pasta cooks.

6. Cook pasta al dente according to package directions. Once finished, put in a bowl and serve with Siciliana sauce on top. Top with extra cheese slices, if desired.

Garnishing with fresh basil is also recommended..but this kitchen was fresh out :)

Hello, 2012...Sorry I'm late!

Now that January is nearly come and gone..it seems like a fine time to talk about my New Year's goals. That's right- I said "goals." I pick this word because my resolutions aren't generally related to self improvement, but rather, new things I want to accomplish in the coming year. And true to character, they tend to be about food.

After ringing in the New Year, I realized how quickly my time in Italy is flying. And if I want to leave here knowing a little bit more about Italian cooking then I need to get movin'! So, my first goal is: learn to make pizza dough. GOOD pizza dough. This will, however, require that I conquer my fear of cooking with yeast. Right now, I just don't want to! But I know it must be done. So perhaps, this is the year. I feel I've met my previous year's goal of learning to make real-deal Italiano tomato sauce. I can make a mean sauce these days.

Second, I want to cook more vegetarian meals. I used to do this pretty often BM (before marriage), but have really gotten away from it since marrying Tazmanian devil (don't worry, it's a pet name). I believe in baby steps, so the initial goal is 1 meatless dinner per week. I've actually already started to do this, so I need to keep on keepin' on. (Major kudos to my friend Angie over at I Sweat the Small Stuff for her goal of 3 meatless dinners per week! I'll be coming to you for healthy ideas!)

Caprese Panini- one of our recent vegetarian lunches
(tomato, fresh basil, buffalo mozzarella)
Thanks, Mom for the Panini Press!!

Pumpkin BBQ Sauce

Next, I want to continue (and improve) on reducing food waste in our home. Besides the obvious "don't you know there are starving children in xyz-country?!" reason, it helps reduce food costs and, seriously- maybe it's a little OCDness in me- but I cannot stand to throw away foods just because they went bad before I was able to use them. Honestly, I think we do a pretty darn good job of this now, but there's always room for improvement. I'm a big fan of the "make extra and freeze some!" approach, but this only really works for bread and baked good in our house.We have a freezer full of homemade waffles and muffins. Rarely do I make a big batch of soup and think, 3 months down the road, "man I could really go for some potentially freezer burned chili!" But here is a recent example of avoiding waste before the stick-it-in-the-freezer option: Last week I made some roasted pork loins and overcooked them. They were TOUGH! Poor Chris kept saying "no, honey- it's really good!" But halfway through, he confessed his jaw hurt and he couldn't finish. So I pulled out my handy dandy Magic Bullet and chopped up the rest, mixed it with some delicious Pumpkin BBQ Sauce (see previous post), and the next day we had "pulled pork" sandwiches for lunch!

And last but not least, I desire and hope to blog more. I've been writing more non-food related things, but have become infrequent in blogging the past few months. It's a wonderful creative outlet for me, allows me to stay connected to friends and family, and saves Chris from the late-night brain storm sessions about the all the potential ways I can use, say 36 lbs of pumpkin, for example.

Well, until next time! We recently had the opportunity to travel to central Italy with my in-laws and I can't wait to write about that! Arrividerci!

Sunset view from our trip to Orvieto

Inside the walled city of Orvieto

When life hands you apples..make applesauce!

The change of seasons is welcome for many reasons: the weather cools down, the leaves change colors, I can bring out the winter wardrobe (scarves, boots, gloves and peacoats..what could be more fun?) and of course, fall food! In the States, seasonal changes didn't seem so drastic for a few reasons. First, I lived in Florida where it's summer for 11 months and fall/winter for 1 month; which hardly merits a dramatic change in wardrobe (sadly). Secondly, we have a variety of foods available to us most of the year. Sure there are some seasonal fluctuations, but if I want it badly enough I can find a winter squash in the spring or an avocado in December.

Here in Italy, it's a little different. While we don't have the luxury of incredible variety all year round, we do get the "cream of the crop" of the seasonal foods. You may recall me raving about the tomatoes this summer..and then a few posts later I complained about eating zucchini every other day- because that's what the summer has to offer: tomatoes and zucchini. And they were delicious!- But by August we were not sad to see them go. This fall I was disappointed that even some of the typical "in-season" fall foods are not widely available. Each week at the base we get a total of about 8 butternut squashes and you can own one for the small sacrifice of your child's college education (do you sense my sarcasm?) But I digress...

My positive point of all that is that because we don't have the variety all year round, the Harvest Season (September-November) is really celebrated. Every weekend in October you can find a harvest festival. Our local ones included: apples, truffles, chestnuts, chocolate, and beer & wine. We had the chance to go to the Apple Festival with some friends. It doesn't get much more fun than that! We sampled apple cider, apple wine, apple cakes and breads, and apple syrups.

There were about 30 tents like this one..all with their individual products

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.."

My first chestnut- yum!

Everyone participated in Apple Festival!

And because I can buy a ridiculous amount of apples for ridiculously cheap- I did! And I came home and made some apple pear sauce via slow cooker. It was way too easy and I'll definitely be doing it again :)

I made my own variation (which I'll post soon), but it was inspired by this one: http://moneysavingmom.com/2011/01/homemade-crock-pot-pear-sauce-or-applesauce.html

What's Cooking Lately

Banana Oatmeal Muffin Cups with Chocolate chunks

Well, blogging has been a little slower than I like, but as usual, the cooking has not been. I've been clearing out the pantry trying to get rid of odds and ends, and ridding our fridge of perishable items before our upcoming excursion to Paris (yay!!!). Summer is slowly fading away so we are seeing the beginnings of a new season, and finally new seasonal food. Out with the zucchini, tomatoes and eggplant, and in with the pumpkin, butternut squash, and apple goodness. Below are some of my recent experiments- some successful and some a work in progress.




Overnight Apple Cinnamon French Toast (whole wheat, of course)



Eggplant "Parmesan" Bake
Courtesy of Clean&Delicious...and a new Muñoz Family Favorite

A kilo of bell peppers acquired at the market...unfortunately many went to waste before I could use them.
But aren't they pretty?

I poached pears for the first time..wasn't super impressed- but I'm not giving up!

  

Carmelized red onion, roasted pepper & artichoke pizza
(yep- a premade crust and I didn't do much except compile it..but gosh it was good!)

Banana Oatmeal Muffin Cups..so good I had to include 2 pictures
(An adaptation from GeenLiteBites which you can find at:
http://greenlitebites.com/2009/03/07/banana-oatmeal-cups-with-chocolate-chips/)
<I added 1 Tbs maple syrup and used plain almond milk> 

I am beyond excited to see what France has to offer- it is uncharted territory for me in terms of cooking..and eating for that matter! Chris says he plans to eat "crepes and quiche between every meal." We shall see.. I'm just hoping the French know a little bit more about breakfast than the Italians! Pictures to come :) Ciao!

Beginner Biscotti

3 months into my residence in Italy and I thought it was time to tackle one of my food-related ambitions. If you don't recall, I want to master homemade tomato sauce, drink espresso like an Italian (no milk), and learn how to make biscotti. (For the record, I have tried the espresso and was not a fan on attempt 1, 2, or 3. I decided un cafe macchiato- espresso with a splash of milk- is more my taste). But I'm getting off track...

If you've followed this blog for a while, then you know that baking anything scares me. I can screw up a Betty Crocker cookie mix (which only calls for ONE additional ingredient besides the mix, by the way). But I figure there is no better time to experiment than now, when I have time and willing taste-testers (hence the chocolate zucchini brownies). As irony would have it, my new sister-in-law is a pastry chef(!) so she swiftly sent me a recipe for biscotti. To be honest, as soon as I saw the words "attach paddle blades to mixer" I was intimidated, so instead we'll be attempting that one via skype supervision. Then, I stumbled upon a super simple biscotti recipe in my Newlywed Cookbook by Robin Miller (I highly recommend it for simple classic recipes). This one required all familiar ingredients, and no foreign appliances! Bring on the Peanut Butter Biscotti :)

Peanut Biscotti (by Robin Miller)

2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 egg whites
1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter (I used smooth, and added some nuts)
1 tsp vanilla extract
non-stick cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and egg whites. Whisk in peanut butter and vanilla (I found a fork was helpful!) Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and mix until a manageable dough forms
4. Transfer dough to lightly floured surface and shape into a 10-inch log (eyeball it..my cutting board has inch measurements). Place log on a baking sheet that has been coated with cooking spray.
5. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.
6. Reduce oven temperature to 300.
7. Allow log to cool for a few minutes (enough to handle) and cut crosswise into 18 slices and arrange slices on baking sheet.

8. Bake 20 more minutes, turning once, until golden. Cool until crisp.

OK..I think I'm ready for intermediate biscotti :)

Happy 1 year of blogging! (And trip to Tuscany)

It seems I have overlooked a monumental occassion- I've been blogging for 1 year! In celebratory reflection, I read through my year of posts and took note of what has been accomplished thus far, how my "direction" with the blog has changed, and likes/dislikes (additional comments welcome). I originally started this blog with the idea of following and learning more about various diets; specifically diets prescribed for medical purposes. I spent a good deal of time following a gluten free diet, and realized there was so much to learn that I continued it for longer. Then, with the change of life events (getting married and moving out of the country) my goal seemed to morph into simple, quick, healthy meals-, all while cleaning out my pantry and saving money.

 

Upon my move to Italy, I've gotten back to the art of enjoying food and, really, have since rediscovered the heart of why I love food and nutrition in the first place: the built in simplicity that what's good for you is also deliciously satisfying. Recently I've desired to get back to my original plan when it occurred to me that in reality, I already have been via the Mediterranean lifestyle. What better way to truly learn and experience the Mediterranean diet than by living in southern Italy? As I've written, we eat seasonally (even it means zucchini at every meal), avoid most processed foods, and indulge in the occassional gelato or margherita pizza (or bag of oreos if my husband participates in the grocery shopping). Yes, I feel that in fact I have been abiding by my mission after all. I'm fortunate to have some time to spare at this stage in life, which I am trying to take advantage of and become a more well-rounded cooker, and eater. I must thank my husband who is such a good sport during all of my culinary adventures- the man doesn't even blink when he finds grated vegetables in his brownies, or when I tell him that the mashed potatoes are actually mashed cauliflower. He's gotten so used to my fascination with food that he now enthusiastically reminds me to take a picture of my meals before I take the first bite in restaurants. I'm sure I looked like the ultimate tourist when I took a picture of my rosemary bread roll in Tuscany.

What did we eat in Tuscany, you wonder? Well, I did some reading before our little weekend getaway- a book that would probably only be interesting to a true food-obsessed person (like myself) with significant time on their hands: A Thousand Days in Tuscany, written by a chef turned food and wine critic turned European traveler who moves to the farmhills of Tuscany to experience true Italian cuisine and culture. Granted it varies depending on region, but thanks to her, I learned that Tuscan food and tradition runs much deeper than good Chianti. I learned about chestnut and olive and truffle harvests, herbs that grow as freely as grass, and the significance of good homemade bread.  It's surprisingly not a big pasta region (traditionally), although their local pasta is most likely to be pici (big thick spaghetti-like noodles. One is more likely to find Grigliata Mista (literally "mixed grill"); a dish made up of whatever meats were fresh and available that day. And if in season, you'll find mushrooms on any menu You can also get a good bowl of Fagioli (literally "beans"), which is as simple as white cannellini beans cooked in a tomato sauce. And we saw the sweet treat panforte just about everywhere, and of course had to try it! It's a rich cake made with honey, dried fruit, and nuts (we opted for chocolate with almonds and dried apricots).

The Rosemary bread rolls



Pici pasta with shaved truffles and ricotta



Panforte Nero (chocolate)



Sampling olives used to make olive oil

Of course good wine wasn't hard to find either :)

I hear the Wine is good in Italy...

Some "almost ready" red grapes

I swore I would blog about our recent wine-tasting tour before we head to Tuscany this weekend to do  some more wine sampling. Not that any 2 wines (or wine tours) in Italy are the same- or even close! I remember shopping for wine in the States before moving here, and getting excited when I saw an Italian wine. "Ohh-Italian! It has to be good!" my inexperienced self would say. Granted, I haven't encountered too many bad wines here, but I am learning the ins and outs of Italian wine and how they vary vastly from region to region.

In most parts of Italy the natives will tell you Naples is nothing to brag about-even the Neopolitans will tell you this! While there is certainly much to experience outside of Naples, I think my temporary home has some things to boast about too, and wine is one of them. So boast I will!

Wine made in the Campania region is unique because of one of the nearby landmarks- Mount Vesuvius, which is an active volcano that famously erupted in AD 79 destroying the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, and most recently erupted in the 1940's. The volcanic residue drastically changes the mineral content of the soil, giving it a distinct "feel" and taste. It is often bubbly and somewhat "salty," as the wine growers describe it. This, in combination with the fact that Naples is a coastal city allows for endless variations of the mineral make-up of the wines. During our first unofficial wine-tasting experience (in the lobby of the mini-mall on base), the wine expert/seller/our-new-friend taught us about how to identify wine grown "on the mountain" versus wine grown "by the sea" and wine with combination of mountain/sea soil. We were utterly fascinated! So depending on the mineral content, a wine may be more or less bubbly, and more or less "salty"

Side story: My husband and and I experienced this "slight" carbonation first hand when we re-corked an opened bottle of Naples red wine and awoke the next morning to a red-stained kitchen (which was mistaken for blood for the first 10 seconds). We quickly identified last night's wine as the culprit and said a silent prayer of thanks for military tiled kitchen walls. However, some of my cookbooks will forever bear the mark of our first Neopolitan bubbly wine.

Anyway, here are some pictures from our recent wine tour at Cantina del Vesuvio. This particular vineyard is the closest to the peak of the volcano, and the wine it produces is well known in South Italy and among the locals.

Rows of grape vines

Green grapes which will make white wine



Steel vessels used in the fermentation process



Oak barrels where some of the wines are further aged

Viola! The finished product



Va bene! A good wine consumer gives it a good sniff first



..And make sure you have a good bowl of pasta nearby.

101 ways to use a zucchini

Zucchini, like all seasonal produce, is overwhelmingly abundant here in Italy. Like the garlic, and tomatoes, and onions, and eggplant- if it's in season, it's about all one can find at the market. And I've learned that it is not just garlic that comes in large quantities, but it's quite a struggle to try to purchase uno mezza chilo (or 1/2 kilogram, versus a whole) of anything. (My husband asks, "well, why would an Italian need anything less than 5 heads of garlic?!) So, because the same angry man who sold me the original kilo of garlic has the best selection of most produce, I usually come home with a crate of tomatoes, 7-8 zucchini, 8-10 onions and about 14 bananas (and he still seems angry.. I don't get it!) Then the mad hunt for recipes using these ingredients ensues.

Well, this week both my mother and a friend of mine here in Italy sent me separate articles on how to tackle an overabundance of summer squash. The choclate cake from this article (http://www.takepart.com/news/2011/08/11/rom-breakast-to-essert-5-ways-to-use-your-zucchinis) looked so good- I couldn't even wait! I grated up some zucchini right then and there and stirred it into a Betty Crocker brownie mix. (See above-It still counts as a vegetable serving, right?) I followed the instructions for cake-like brownies because I knew the zucchini would provide extra moisture. I plopped large spoonfuls into paper lined muffin tins and viola! The husband didn't even know there was zucchini in them (I wasn't sneaking it, I just forgot to tell him.)



picture from C&D website



In addition to my zucchini sweet treat, I also made a Raw Summer Squash salad, which I adapted from another food blog that I have recently become obsessed with: http://cleananddelicious.com/. The recipe can be found here: http://cleananddelicious.com/2011/08/09/raw-summer-squash-salad-w-feta-and-tomatoes/ . Naturally, I added a clove of finely chopped garlic. This recipe is much better after sitting for a while..at least 30 mins. I've been eating it for several days and it gets better every time.

I am anxious to see what the fall and winter seasons will bring food-wise. Not that I am wishing away the summer, but a girl can only eat so much zucchini! At least it is never a challenge to get in those 5 servings of fruits and vegetables everyday :) Next weekend Chris and I are taking a roadtrip to a small village in Tuscany to stay at a Bed & Breakfast on a vineyard. I can't wait to see what we'll come across there! Maybe I'll try real Panzanella Tuscan bread salad.

Other zucchini recipes can be found here:

http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/essential-ingredients/healthy-squash-zucchini-recipes-00400000052685/?iid=newsletter-ck-081011&PromKey=XET



Italy lately

Well, in the past few weeks I have learned that I will need to blog much more often in order to keep up with all the new experiences, tastes and culinary adventures I've had. My kitchen has seen a lot of new foods this month, and I'm sure my google history is full of searches for ways to use my latest market impulse purchase. For example, I had been eyeing some Italian Squash in our commissary for a few weeks, and finally gave in. It looks like a cross between pumpkin and butternut squash so I assumed it could be cooked the same (it can). For my first attempt I just roasted it with a little olive oil and salt and pepper because I wanted to get a sense of it's natural flavor as best I could. It almost had a sweetness like carrots, to me. I also think this would be wonderful mashed with a little butter and cinnamon...and brown sugar.

And I can't forget about the garlic! Our house has smelled like garlic for the past 3 weeks I am certain. My first use was in what I call Italian Salsa- just chopped tomatoes, garlic, basil, s&p. I eat it by itself but it can served on top of toasted bread like bruschetta. I've grilled fish with garlic (well Chris has), roasted whole garlic cloves, made garlic vinaigrette dressing, a delicious balsamic mushroom sauce (recipe to come), and a traditional Panzanella (Tuscan bread salad, which is a way to use leftover-almost-stale bread). I'm even freezing some garlic as an experiment to see how it holds up. A funny sidenote (and this is either the dietitian or the hypochondriac in me; I'm not sure which): I stubbed my toe on a cabinet yesterday and it wouldn't stop bleeding. I think garlic (a natural blood thinner) is affecting my ability to clot blood. Hmm..maybe Italians have more durable bandaids.

Italian Salsa 



 (Pre) Grilled Salmon with lemon, dill and garlic

 Panzanella (bread salad)

Balsmic Chicken and Mushrooms (my fave!)

 And while I can sing praises of Italian food all day, I must be fair and say I've had my share of dislikes. The seafood that everyone raves about was, well, not to my taste. I'll try anything once- so seafood risotto sounded so promising! But after a few bites of octopus (not in the form of fried calamari), my stomach informed me that I was done. For some odd reason, it began to resemble intestines.  



Seafood Risotto

 

Now it's just rice with octopus..eww.

Another dislike: I'm still not loving these Italian so-called breakfasts. During our recent trip to Rome, our hotel boasted of a "breakfast buffet." I should have known better, since I have yet to see a breakfast that doesn't look like a pretty dough-nut, but again, the word 'buffet' reeled me in. Below is our breakfast buffet:

But I must end on a good note, because at the end of the day, right down the street I can get the absolute best Pasta Siciliana at a cute local restaurant near our home. It's penne with eggplant and tomato sauce, and Naples' buffalo mozzarrella cheese. It is just delightful!

Pasta Siciliana

A little Garlic goes a long way...

...but a LOT of garlic goes a really long way! Another day at the market and another lesson learned: when the man says 1 kilo of garlic, you get 1 kilo of garlic. That’s right, I came home with about 2 lbs of garlic for the price of 1 Euro! Seemed like a steal until I realized I didn’t know what the heck I was going to do with it all. TGFG (Thank God For Google).

I know garlic is used in everything here in Italy, and I am a-ok with that, but before I walk around breathing garlic fire (or at the very least scare my husband away), I wanted to know: is garlic freeze-able? How can I store it?  If for some reason I can’t manage to use all 4 large heads of garlic, will it be a waste? In the back of my mind I imagine a little Italian old lady chasing me down the street and cursing me for wasting such a jewel, if I were to allow it to go bad before using it all.

Of course I can roast them whole and they are delicious by themselves..but, like I said, I have a lot of garlic. So I sought the help of my cookbook library and came across a Garlic Puree, which can be stirred into things like mashed potatoes or pasta sauces. (Now I just need my Magic Bullet to arrive any day now). Then in my email box today I received a monthly newsletter I subscribe to that had a recipe for Basil and Garlic Tomatoes. What a coincidence, I bought a kilo of cherry tomatoes today also!

All ingredient amounts here are flexible…obviously I increased the garlic J It’s best to let the mixture sit at room temperature for at least an hour to absorb the flavors. Eat by itself, on toasted bread, or as an easy pasta mix-in!  I had planned to drizzle with olive oil right before eating, but it didn't need it!

Basil & Garlic Tomatoes

• 3 cups quartered cherry tomatoes (or any good tomatoes chopped)
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (unless you like big chunks- I don’t!)
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• ¼-1/2 tsp salt  

The jury is still out as to whether or not garlic is freeze-able. According to my credible google search, it is possible, but may not keep quality-wise. Oh well. 3 cloves down, 57 to go (there are usually 10-15 cloves in a head, fyi).