One thing for sure — pizza worldwide, never gets ‘old’. The fact that pizza can be topped with almost anything, creates some of the most unique flavors.
But, first we must think about the cheese used as it has been a part of pizza forever. Food experts seem to agree that mozzarella is the best choice. There are four different kinds of mozzarella used for pizza: fior di latte (made of cow’s milk), mozzarella di bufala (made from the milk of water buffalo), burrata (a fresh Italian cheese with a creamy filling), and the type most commonly used in North America, pizza cheese (whole milk or part skim mozzarella). Of course you can always opt for a kind that you favor more personally.
Around the world, regional ingredients and local foods create some interesting combinations such as: Australia: bacon, ham, egg, shrimp & pineapple Brazil: green peas, corn, raisins, boiled eggs & hearts of palm China: mini hot dogs Costa Rica: shrimp & coconut France: bacon, onion & fresh cream Germany: canned tuna Greece: feta cheese, olives, oregano, onion, tomato, green pepper & pepperoni India: tikka chicken, minced mutton, pickled ginger, paneer cheese & tofu Japan: squid, eel, teriyaki chicken, bacon & potatoes Netherlands: lamb, as well as the so-called ‘double Dutch’ – double meat, onion & cheese Pakistan: tikka chicken, achari chicken & curry Portugal: local garlic sausage or chorizo Russia: a combination of several types of sea food with onions called ‘mocaba’ Sweden: chicken, peanut, curry powder as well as pineapple & banana
This wild shrimp pizza uses a light garlic-lemon sauce with a mozza-parmesan cheese combo. We love shrimp (or seafood), so what’s not to like!
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Wild Shrimp & Red Pepper Pizza
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Rating: 5
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Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
In a large skillet, melt butter & add oil over medium heat. Add garlic & lemon zest, cook for 1 minute. Add broth (or wine) & lemon juice, simmer for 2 minutes. Add shrimp & red pepper. Saute ONLY until shrimp is pink. Remove from heat; place shrimp & red pepper in a dish & set aside. Add Parmesan cheese & Italian seasoning to broth remaining in pan; combine well. Cool slightly.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a large pizza pan with parchment or sprinkle with cornmeal. Press out pizza dough evenly in pan & brush with slightly cooled 'sauce'. Top with shrimp, peppers, mozzarella cheese. Bake 8-10 minutes, until cheese is bubbly.
Rosti (roosh-tee) originated as a farmer’s breakfast item in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. In Germanic Switzerland, rosti literally means ‘crisp and golden’ and refers to a dish of shredded potatoes, sauteed on both sides in butter with salt and pepper. Regional variations include extra ingredients such as bacon, ham, onion, cheese, apples or herbs and fresh vegetables.
This Swiss potato dish can be described as a cross between hash browns and a potato pancake. Poached eggs are particularly good with rosti at breakfast, but when served at any other meal, toppings might include smoked salmon, bacon, avocado, sour cream and red onions.
Writing this blog makes me mentally return to the brief bit of time Brion and I spent in Lugano, Switzerland. This city lies at the edge of Lake Lugano, south of the Swiss Alps. Lugano has a traffic-free historic town center where we enjoyed not only a great meal but some of that fabulous Swiss chocolate. The city’s waterfront forms a crescent around the bay. The climate of Lugano is humid subtropical that closely borders on being oceanic. I’ve included a few of Brion’s photos of the beautiful villas along the shores of Lake Como and in the city of Lugano. Hopefully, some day we will be able to explore Switzerland a little more extensively.
Mental journey aside, today I not only am making a potato rosti but something that mirrors that idea using zucchini instead of potatoes. It should make for a tasty combo.
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Potato Rosti & Zucchini Rolls
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Rating: 5
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Votes: 2
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Potato Rosti Roll
Line a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 F. Whisk together eggs, salt, pepper & Parmesan cheese. Grate potatoes, rinse & squeeze moisture out. Combine with egg mixture; pour into prepared baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with Swiss cheese & shingle with ham slices. Using parchment paper, gently roll up rosti & bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve hot.
Filled Zucchini Rolls
Line a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 F. Whisk together eggs, salt, pepper & Parmesan cheese. Grate zucchini & squeeze moisture out. Combine with egg mixture; pour into prepared baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with smoked Gouda cheese & shingle with ham slices. Using parchment paper, gently roll up zucchini roll & bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve hot or cold.
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Recipe Notes
- It is very important that you absolutely MUST squeeze out all the moisture from potatoes & zucchini before you add the eggs.
Its already late August so BBQ’s and salads are in full swing. There’s just something about cooking food outdoors on the grill that we Canadians absolutely love. If your a true BBQ lover, it doesn’t matter if its a block away, you will still catch that glorious smell.
BBQ season is not only for meat eaters. Just about any vegetable as well as numerous desserts can be cooked on the grill. For me, I love seafood, fish & chicken, for Brion, I guess I would have to add a bit of pork and beef.
This meal is a nice combination of shrimp, Parmesan zucchini and pasta salad. I kept the pasta salad real simple since we already had a vegetable. To give it some extra pizzaz, I made a roasted red pepper sauce which the little orecchietti pasta cups nicely. Nothing fancy, just plain good!
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Shrimp Kabobs with Orecchietti Pasta Salad
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Rating: 5
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Ingredients
Quick Roasted Red Pepper Sauce / Pasta
Ingredients
Quick Roasted Red Pepper Sauce / Pasta
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Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Red Pepper Sauce
In a food processor, blend red roasted peppers along with 2 Tbsp of liquid from the jar. Puree the peppers until smooth, adding a Tbsp or two of water if needed to help it blend ( avoid adding too much liquid from the jar as it can be very acidic). Mince the garlic & add it to a skillet with the butter. Saute for 1-2 minutes or just until garlic has softened but not brown. Pour in the pureed peppers; add basil & pepper & stir to combine.
Allow sauce to come to a simmer; turn heat to low & simmer about 10 minutes, stirring often, until mixture thickens. Add cream, stirring until smooth. Meanwhile, cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente about 12-13 minutes. Drain & add to sauce. Serve warm or cold.
Marinated Shrimp
In a bowl, whisk together all shrimp marinade ingredients; add shrimp & marinate at least 30 minutes.
Parmesan Zucchini
Prepare zucchini. In a bowl, combine Parmesan & garlic powder. Melt butter; toss zucchini slices in butter then coat with Parmesan mixture. On wooden skewers, alternate marinated shrimp with cubes of Parmesan zucchini. Roast in oven or on BBQ until shrimp is pink & cooked being careful not to overcook. Serve with orecchiette pasta salad.
Recipe Notes
- This tomato-free sauce could also be used as an alternative to a traditional pizza sauce.
Ricing vegetables has been around for as long as I remember. Maybe not to the degree that is happening today. I recall a utensil my mother had that resembled a large garlic press. It was called a potato ricer and to my knowledge was only used for potatoes to change the texture.
As time has passed, this idea has evolved into so much more. Cauliflower ‘rice’ came on the scene as a popular grain-free alternative to rice. As with many food trends, the ‘riced’ craze has continued using other veggies like sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, onions and peas.
The grocery stores have jumped on the bandwagon with fresh and frozen products and in a variety of plain and flavored versions.
Making your own riced vegetables is even easier than in days gone by. Just trim, chop and pulse your veggies in a food processor. Cook with a quick steam or saute and flavor with some fresh herbs and spices. Of course, you can always change it up with other chopped veggies, nuts or a sprinkle of cheese.
Riced cauliflower can be used on its own, fried, in baked casseroles or as I’m using it today, in a pizza crust. A different texture than traditional pizza crust but loaded with flavor. Its sort of firm, chewy and soft all at the same time. I wasn’t sure how well we would like this pizza but it tasted just great with the addition of some homemade bread sticks.
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Cauliflower Crust Pizza with Ground Beef & Olives
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Rating: 5
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Votes: 2
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Cauliflower Crust
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a 14-inch pizza with parchment paper. Process cauliflower. In a bowl, combine all crust ingredients. Pat mixture onto pizza pan & press to form pizza crust. Bake 15-20 minutes; remove from oven.
Pizza Toppings
In a skillet, crumble fry beef & mushrooms with spices until cooked. Drain & cool slightly. Carefully 'spread' cauliflower crust with tomato sauce. Top with mozzarella cheese, meat mixture, red peppers & sliced olives. Sprinkle with grated parmigano-reggiano & bake an additional 7-10 minutes, until cheese melted. Remove from oven & allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.
Over the years, Brion and I have vacationed many times in the Carmel / Monterey area on the California coast. As a rule, we make Pacific Grove ‘home base’ and from there do numerous day trips. About a 20 minute drive inland from Monterey Bay is the tiny agricultural town of Castroville. It is surrounded by robust fields of artichokes. When you enter into the town you will see a sign that says ‘Artichoke Center of the World’.
As the Italians migrated in large numbers to the United States in the early 1920’s, they brought with them some of their cherished and favorite foods. One of them was the globe artichoke. Landowner, Andrew Molera was approached to grow artichokes. The idea was encouraging because they were very expensive and looked like he could make better money than with his current crop of sugar beets.
The loamy, well drained soil and cool foggy summers were a good match for this crop. More than nine decades later, nearly 100 percent of America’s fresh artichoke supply comes from California and nearly two thirds are still grown in Castroville.
Today, I’m using artichokes in a quiche with a potato pastry. This type of pastry was very popular during WWII, as rationing was tightened. It enabled homemakers to stretch their flour ration with potatoes from their gardens. I think potato pastry makes the perfect crust for this kind of quiche. The Red Pepper Puree is the ‘icing on the cake’, as they say.
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Salmon / Artichoke Potato Crusted Quiche
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Rating: 5
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Ingredients
Quiche Filling
- 250 grams salmon fillet, cooked (canned salmon can be substituted)
- 170 ml marinated artichoke hearts, drained
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 250 grams fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 100 grams Gruyere OR Swiss cheese, grated
- 30 grams Parmigano - Reggiano cheese, grated
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp fresh basil
- 1/2 tsp EACH dry mustard, dill weed, garlic powder, & onion powder
- salt to taste
- 300 ml roasted red peppers, drained & rinsed
Ingredients
Quiche Filling
- 250 grams salmon fillet, cooked (canned salmon can be substituted)
- 170 ml marinated artichoke hearts, drained
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 250 grams fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 100 grams Gruyere OR Swiss cheese, grated
- 30 grams Parmigano - Reggiano cheese, grated
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp fresh basil
- 1/2 tsp EACH dry mustard, dill weed, garlic powder, & onion powder
- salt to taste
- 300 ml roasted red peppers, drained & rinsed
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Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Potato Pastry
In a bowl, combine potato, flours & salt. With a pastry cutter, add butter. Knead dough lightly on a floured work surface. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes then press into quiche pan. Preheat oven to 425 F. 'Blind' bake until lightly golden.
Quiche
Reduce oven temperature to 375 F. Place salmon fillets on a lightly oiled foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 14 minutes. Flake cooked salmon & set aside. In a large skillet, saute mushrooms, onions for about 5-7 minutes. Dice artichokes into quarters & add to skillet along with garlic; cook 3-4 minutes & remove from heat. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, fresh basil & spices.
Quiche Assembly
Spread half if the Gruyere cheese on bottom of quiche crust. Top with flaked salmon & sauteed vegetables. Carefully pour egg/milk mixture over all. Top with remaining Gruyere & Parmigano-Reggiano cheeses. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until quiche is 'set'.
Meanwhile, place the roasted red peppers in a food processor & process until almost smooth. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Serve with quiche.
Recipe Notes
- A nice alternate crust would be one made with cheddar cheese.
