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Foodie Friday | Zucchini Stuffed with Italian Turkey Sausage, Bacon, Fennel + Apple

Inspired by the dozen or so zucchini I had in my fridge this week, I decided to dream up a little sumpin’ sumpin’ that would be satisfying-but-not-too-hearty in the midst of this changing weather. I don’t know what things are like on your corner of the planet, but Toronto this week can’t decide if it’s in the midst of a mid-summer-heatwave or hitting the just-before-Halloween-Autumn-chill. It’s been my experience that when pregnant, one’s heating and cooling system is already rather…well, ummm, broken…so I’ve been as equally as confused as the weather this week! Sometimes I want piping hot comfort food and other times I want an ice bath. Yes, it is just as attractive as it sounds. Let’s leave it at that and not go for any more descriptives or visuals.

Anyway, this meal really hit the spot, so I thought I’d share it with you today just in case any of you are experiencing climate confusion and related symptoms of foodie angst. As always, the core ingredients are really simple: spicy Italian turkey sausage, bacon, apple, fennel, onion, thyme, garlic and parmesan cheese all stuffed into the humble green delivery system of carved-out zucchini.

ZUCCHINI STUFFED WITH ITALIAN TURKEY SAUSAGE, BACON, FENNEL + APPLE

THE INGREDIENTS:

3 large, fresh spicy Italian turkey sausages

6 slices bacon

1/2 red onion, chopped

Small bulb of fennel, chopped

Small apple, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped or minced

1 Tbsp thyme

2 Tbsp grapeseed oil

1/4 c. chopped Italian parsley

12 sm-med zucchini

1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese

THE METHOD:

Start by popping the 6 slices of bacon onto a baking sheet and throwing them into the oven at 375˚F for about 10 minutes until cooked but not overly crisp. Remove and drain off on paper towels and then chop roughly into bits. Next, add grapeseed oil to a large sauté pan and heat to med-hi heat. Remove the sausages from their casings and brown in the oil. {No need to use the oil if you are not using turkey sausage – pork or beef sausage should produce enough oil on its own, but the turkey sausage is very lean so needs the help not to stick to the pan.}

Remove the turkey sausage and add in chopped the garlic, fennel, onion, apple, and thyme, sautéing until softened and the onion is translucent. You may need to add a bit more oil to the pan – less is more, but you don’t want anything sticking to the pan.

Mix the turkey sausage, bacon bits, apple, fennel, and onion mixtures together with the 1/4 cup of chopped parsley in a bowl and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Next, cut the ends off of each of your zucchini and using a small spoon, hollow out the insides, removing all of the seeds to create your little “boats.”

Finally, add all but 1/4 c. of the grated parmesan to the meat mixture and then stuff the zucchini. I found it easiest to pick up each zucchini boat and hold it over the bowl while filling it with my {very clean and freshly washed} hands.

Top with the remaining parmesan cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the zucchini are soft but still al dente.

Et le voilà! A meal perfect for all those who, like me, are struggling with climate confusion this time of year.

{As a side note, this recipe did leave me with extra stuffing mixture which I have stored in a glass container and may use with halved acorn squashes this weekend. I must say that the flavours of the fennel, apple and bacon really do feel a bit like Fall to me. So happy-sad it’s here already!}

Well, whatever the weather is like this weekend, I hope you are able to get out and enjoy it with your loved ones.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|September 13th, 2013|0 Comments

Foodie Fridays | Braised Peach, Buffalo Mozzarella and Prosciutto Salad

We recently had dinner with dear friends and the hostess, my friend Meredith, made a salad that left me positively moaning. After her husband had picked up 2 flats of gorgeous ripe peaches that week, Mer did some research on what to do with them and stumbled upon a recipe from Australia.

You know me – I love any dish that elevates the simple goodness of the core ingredients. Well, this salad does that in spades.

I would have linked to the original recipe, but a) I couldn’t find it and b) Mer modified it anyway, so let’s just call this her version of a combination of flavours that seems to have been married with one another by many-a brilliant chef around the globe. {You’ll find if you google it that finding the “original author” is near impossible.}

Starting with gorgeous, ripe peaches, wash and halve them {one per person} and sauté {flesh side down} in 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 2 Tbsp maple syrup. You have to watch that the maple syrup doesn’t caramelize too much and turn into hard candy. If it does, you can simply scrape it up and discard it {aka eat it} and add more syrup to your dressing at the end.

Next, plate the arugula. Mer plated this gorgeous salad farm-style on one big platter, but when I made it here at home I just plated it individually. Either way works beautifully.

Next, zest the rind of one well-washed lemon.

Using one ball of buffalo mozzarella for every 2 people, split the soft and gentle cheese into pulled chunks. This might be my favourite part, and I love how the pulled pieces resemble poached eggs. For someone who is allergic to eggs and misses them dearly, it’s a perfect visual substitute, and the cheese’s softness contributes a similar texture {though a different flavour} as would a poached egg.

Next, using 3-4 slices of good Italian prosciutto per person, plate the prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella on top of the bed of arugula and then garnish the mozzarella with the lemon zest, good salt {I used Maldon} and pepper.

Once the peaches are nicely braised, cut them in half again and plate them on top of the salad.

Here’s where the Meredith-magic to this recipe comes in: once you’ve removed the peaches from the pan you’ll have a gorgeous, peach-infused syrup of maple and olive oil. Pour this reduction into a small pitcher and combine it with the juice of 1/2 or more of your lemon. Season with salt and pepper and adjust your quantities of maple syrup and olive oil if necessary until the dressing essentially tastes like a warm lemonade sweetened with maple syrup. Oh. My. Goodness.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad and keep the pitcher at the table for additional drizzling {an inevitability, trust me}.

Here’s the delicious recap:

BRAISED PEACH, BUFFALO MOZZARELLA AND PROSCIUTTO SALAD

{serves 4}

THE INGREDIENTS

1 5oz container of organic baby arugula
2 balls Buffalo Mozzarella
12-16 slices of good Italian prosciutto
1 lemon
4 peaches
3-4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2-3 Tbsp maple syrup
Salt + pepper

THE METHOD

Wash and halve peaches and sauté {flesh side down} in 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil and 2 Tbsp maple syrup. Watch that the maple syrup doesn’t caramelize too much and turn into hard candy. If it does, scrape it up and discard it {aka eat it} and add more syrup to your dressing at the end.

Next, plate the arugula and zest the rind of your lemon. Split the buffalo mozzarella into pulled chunks and garnish with the lemon zest, salt and pepper.

Plate the sliced prosciutto and juice your zested lemon into a small serving pitcher. Remove braised peaches from the pan and cut in half, plating on top of the salad.

Pour the reduction of olive oil and maple syrup into your small serving pitcher and whisk together with the lemon juice. Adjust to taste and season with salt + pepper. Drizzle over your salad and enjoy!

. . . . .

If you are anything like me, this salad will become a very regular presence in your salad repertoire. In fact, I think this salad will be responsible for extra pregnancy-tears on my part when peach season is officially over. Until then, indulge and enjoy!

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|September 6th, 2013|0 Comments

Gluten Free Foodie Friday | Peach Galette

So it turns out that my pregnancy cravings happen to be perfectly in season! Who knew that August was officially the month of the peach? I certainly didn’t, but I did start craving them about two weeks ago – specifically, tree-ripened Niagara peaches. Their sweet, golden flesh and their decadent nectar exploding with each bite are like nature’s candy to my palate.

Having posted my craving on Facebook one night in search of a good local market carrying the tree-ripened variety, I was totally shocked, amazed and delighted to get a knock on my door the next day from a lovely friend who – in a spirit of total kindness and generosity – had picked some up on her visit to the market that day and dropped them off for me and the little bean to enjoy. And enjoy them we did! So did Noah who probably ate half of them himself, and the truth is I didn’t mind one bit. That is one indulgence I will never deny him!

Well, inspired by Steph’s super-kind, door-to-door tree-ripened peach delivery, I decided to create a gluten free Peach Galette this week in honour of Peach Month. And yes, let’s be honest, also in honour of my ongoing cravings and Noah’s latest {healthy!} obsession.

OK, so here’s where “confession time with Sarah” kicks in for a moment. It dawned on me as we were enjoying the freshly baked galette how surprised I was at how good it tasted, because I once believed myself to be a terrible baker! Like, totally-incapable-and-should-probably-never-try-it bad! I’m not sure if it was the university roommates who would get up at 6am just to bake muffins for their boyfriends that did it, or perhaps having a British Auntie who is basically a Cordon Bleu chef and baker. Either way, I’ve realized that my confidence in my baking abilities {and subsequent willingness to experiment with baking} only caught up to my willingness to experiment with my cooking skills just this year. Ironic, as now the exploration is complicated by being gluten-free! I wonder if perhaps that wasn’t the impetus that pushed me over the edge from fear to freedom? Either way, I’m grateful to be in a place where I no longer stop myself from trying, because sometimes the results are actually even post-worthy.

OK, enough self-reflecting for now, on to the recipe! This one really is all about the pastry dough, and I’m happy to report that it’s super easy with just a couple of thoughtful steps. Basically, it’s all about good flour and good butter and keeping things really cold. My British Auntie once told me that the secret to being a good pastry chef is to have cold hands. I have a warm heart…does that count?

THE INGREDIENTS:

Dough:
1 cup organic, unsalted butter
1/2 cup filtered water
3/4 tsp salt {I used Maldon}
2 1/2 cups Cup 4 Cup flour
1 Tbsp maple sugar
Heavy Cream to brush the crust

Filling:
2 large, ripe peaches, sliced
4 Tbsp maple sugar, plus more for dusting the crust

THE METHOD:

Start by taking a cold, 1 cup block of butter {this is a half-brick} from the refrigerator and cutting it into small cubes. Place the cubes in a freezer-safe container and freeze for a minimum of 10 minutes {up to an hour}.

Measure the water and dissolve the salt into it and then pop that into the freezer as well for about 10 minutes to chill it. Once the butter is chilled, measure your flour and maple sugar into your stand mixer bowl and with the paddle attachment {the whisk is too messy} add the frozen butter chunks and blend until it resembles flour-coated peas or grains of rice. {This can be done by hand with a bench scraper, but I don’t have ones and my hands aren’t very cold.} Slowly add the chilled salt water until the dough combines into a ball {you may not need all of the water}.

At this point, the dough may not be perfectly combined. Being careful not to overwork it, roll it 2-3 times on a floured surface, then create a ball {or two if you are choosing to make two smaller galettes} and pop it in the fridge to chill again for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 375˚F and remove the chilled dough from the fridge. On a freshly flour-dusted surface with a freshly flour-dusted rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is 1/4-1/8″ thick. You don’t want it to be too thick or the dough will dominate the fruit. Trim the edges so you have a nice-ish circle, and then gently lay the dough into a buttered round cast iron pan.

{As a side note: I decided to make two galettes – one for now, one for later – so I only used half my dough and my small 8″ Le Creuset pan. You can also just bake your galette on a parchment-lined baking sheet.}

Next, slice your peach and arrange the slices to gently fill the crust with room to fold over the edges. Dust the peach slices with maple sugar and then carefully fold the edges in to nestle around the fruit.

Next, brush the crust with heavy cream and dust with maple sugar to entice it into a perfect, golden finish once it’s baked.

Bake in a 375˚F oven for 30-40 minutes until the crust is a perfect golden brown. Allow it to cool {at least enough that the hot fruit won’t remove a layer of skin from the roof of your mouth and permanently damage your tastebuds – this is my measure of “cool enough”} and enjoy with maple-syrup-infused whipping cream. My small galette made 4 servings, so no doubt using all the dough for one large galette would serve 6-8 quite happily.

I hope this weekend leaves enough you time – amongst the errands and activities of real life – to savour nature’s bountiful goodness and the even sweeter company of the ones you love.

xo
s.

By Sarah Walker The Curated House|August 23rd, 2013|1 Comment