Zucchini Tomato Crostada

Every once in a while, I need an appetizer. But not just any appetizer. A showstopper. One with colorful fresh produce and bright flavors. This time, it was my mom who needed such a dish. She was going to listen to a concert with some friends, and nothing would do the fabulous Jimmy Buffett justice but this tomato zucchini crostada.

So what exactly is a crostada? It's basically a tart, but it's baked flat on a cookie tray with the edges folded over (as in the pictures) instead of pressed in a tart pan. It keeps the filling in and is often more crispy. It's probably the one dish that I actually enjoy the edges because who doesn't like extra little nuggets of crust?

The filling for this delicious crostada has some Italian nuances. It starts with a base of ricotta, mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, and sauteed leeks. The ricotta adds creaminess while the mozzarella adds gooeyness, and the tomatoes and leeks add some chewiness and a soft flavor background for the toppings, which are sliced tomatoes and zucchini.

For the zucchini, just cut it into coins and cut each coin in half to form half moons. For the tomatoes, I use cherry tomatoes of various colors that I cut in half. Theoretically, you could use regular tomatoes and slice them, but they don't look as pretty, and you tend to lose some of the juiciness and flavor from roasting little tomatoes. When you halve the cherry tomatoes and place them on the tart cut side up, they roast while the tart bakes, emphasizing the juiciness and giving the tart an even more special look. Regular sliced tomatoes would probably just shrivel. Trust me on this and go with the cherry tomatoes, even if you only want to use plain red ones.

To assemble the tart, roll out the dough to about 1/8" or thinner. You want as large a circle as possible, but don't worry if the circle isn't perfect. Mine rarely are, and I just say it's rustic. You then spread the cheese mixture around the crust, leaving about an inch border since you need room to fold the crust up. Top it with the zucchini and tomatoes, fold the edges over, and bake it and you're done! The only thing better than how this crostada looks is how it tastes!

1 Recipe Savory Crust Dough, Chilled (I use this recipe)
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Small Leek, White/Light Green Parts Sliced Thinly
¼ Cup Sliced Sundried Tomatoes
½ Cup Ricotta
½ Cup Shredded Mozzarella
1 Sprig Rosemary, Chopped
1 Small Zucchini, Sliced Thinly
1 ½ Cups Cherry Tomatoes, Halved

Heat oven to 350ºF.

Heat some olive oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and leeks and cook until just tender, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

Stir the ricotta, mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, and ½ cup of the leek mixture together. Add the rosemary and season with salt and pepper.

Roll the pie crust dough out to ⅛" thick. Transfer to a parchment-lined cookie tray. Spread the cheese mixture on the dough, leaving a 1" border. Top with the zucchini and tomatoes.

Fold the edges of the crust over and bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden.

Makes 1 Crostada
Recipe Adapted from Recipe Girl

Mango Salsa

Since I'm graduating later this afternoon, I have family flying in from all over the country (well, New York), and they are all very, very hungry. They are staying at my house for hours, after all. Anyone who has ever hosted large amounts of people with varying tastes and large appetites knows how difficult it is to feed them all, but I found a recipe I think will satisfy everyone.

I made some salsa with mangoes, corn, bell peppers, tomatoes, and black beans, among other things. It sounds like a pretty strange combination, but trust me. It works. The mango brings a pop of sweetness, and the corn does, too (to a degree). I mainly use the bell peppers for crunch, and I like tomatoes for a bit of acidity and more texture. Black beans are a great way to make the salsa more filling.

You may not realize it, but most salsas do have some sort of "dressing," or a combination of liquids to add extra flavor and help all the flavors from the vegetables (and fruit, in this case) blend together and make the salsa more cohesive. I start with lime juice and olive oil and then season it with chili powder, cayenne, and other spices. The lime juice adds a nice punch of acidity, and the olive oil is a wonderful way to bring the flavors together. You can season it however you like, but I included my recommendations in the recipe.

Now for the spice. Most people like their salsa to have at least a little bit of heat, but my grandma--who I'm sure will want to try some of this--is very picky about her seasoning. She can detect an extra grain of salt in a whole vat of tomato sauce, and she is extremely sensitive to spicy things. You can probably guess she won't really want much heat in her salsa, but that's the beauty of this recipe (and most of my other salsas as well). I used one habanero--minced finely of course--to give a hint of spiciness without burning off my taste buds. Feel free to use less spicy peppers like jalapenos or more spicy peppers of your choosing or simply increasing or decreasing the amount of cayenne in the dressing.

Salsa is pretty simple, but the main secret is to make it the night before and let it "marinate" for a few hours. It becomes more cohesive instead of just a jumbled mix of random produce, which could be good, but salsa is certainly far better. I'm just keeping a big jar of it in my fridge for all my visitors this weekend, and hopefully it lasts through tonight!

2 Ears Corn
2 Small Mangoes, Diced
1 15 oz Can Black Beans, Drained & Rinsed
1 Small Bell Pepper, Diced
3 Roma Tomatoes, Diced
1 Habanero, Minced
1/2 Red Onion, Minced
2 Limes
2 T Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp baking soda. Add the corn, cover, and remove from heat. Let sit for 10 minutes, drain, and cut off the kernels once cool.

Whisk the juice from the limes, olive oil, cayenne, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder together. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Combine the corn, mangoes, black beans, tomatoes, habanero, and onion. Stir in the dressing and let sit for at least two hours, seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.

Serves 8-10
Recipe Adapted from Joyful Scribblings

Meatballs

It seems like the simplest dishes are the most difficult to prepare. While I have yet to find a flawless mac and cheese recipe, the good news is that I have perfected my meatball recipe. It's taken years to do so, and I've tried everything from my Grandma's recipe to buttermilk, panko, and gelatin. It's pretty hard to make a bad meatball, but it's even harder to make an outstanding one. Luckily, this recipe is simple and flavorful, and it comes with an amazing marinara sauce recipe, too.

Let's start with the meat. You can't have meatballs without meat (although I know some vegetarians who beg to differ). The "classic" Italian trio is beef, pork, and veal, but I've found that veal is a little hard to come by and is often a little too expensive. Beef and pork work just fine, though you can always substitute some veal if you like.

Next is the big bread crumbs vs soaked bread debate. My grandma always took some slices of sandwich bread, removed the crust, and let it sit in hot milk or water. Another recipe I tried had you soak panko crumbs in buttermilk. That was a little weird for me, so I figured I'd go back to basics. Meatballs need some sort of bread for textural purposes, but I don't always have sandwich bread or any other suitable bread in my house. One of my main goals for this recipe was to make it easy and accessible, something I could make on a whim without having to go to the supermarket. I always have plain breadcrumbs, and fortunately they work perfectly in this recipe. You don't even have to soak them in anything.

From there, it's pretty standard. You add your eggs, some milk, some parmesan, and some seasoning. I like to go easy on the herbs because the marinara sauce usually has enough and I don't want it to be overpowering. To cook the meatballs, I first sear them in batches in a skillet to get a nice crust on them. That's usually not enough to cook them through or make them all that tender, so I transfer them to a big pot of marinara sauce to simmer for 30-60 minutes. You can go longer, but I usually can't wait much more than that to dig in.

Since you cook the meatballs for so long in the marinara (and I usually douse my pasta in the sauce, too), you need to make sure you have a good one. If you have a favorite brand of jarred sauce, you can definitely use that. I, however, have an extremely easy recipe that only takes a few minutes to put together. Because I like a smooth sauce, I take a few cans of tomato puree (two 28 oz cans usually make enough) and add some olive oil, lemon juice, sugar, and spices. You don't even have to cook it because it cooks enough with the meatballs. Adding the leftover fat from searing the meatballs adds a touch of savory flavor and brings the whole sauce together, but of course that is completely optional, especially if you decide to make the sauce without the meatballs.

Your grandma may be a little shocked if she catches you making someone else's meatballs, but these are definitely worth a try. This is a simple, classic recipe that makes enough for any occasion. I made a batch a few days ago and I'm still eating leftovers for lunch (happily, of course!).

1 lb Ground Beef
1 lb Ground Pork
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Cup Breadcrumbs
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Oregano
Marinara Sauce (See Recipe Below)

Combine the eggs and milk. Stir in the breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano. Add the ground beef and ground pork. Roll the mixture into balls.

Heat some oil in a skillet. Add the meatballs and cook, turning often, until brown on all sides. Pour the marinara sauce over the meatballs and simmer for 30 minutes.

Marinara Sauce:
Pour 2 28 oz cans of tomato puree into a large pot. Add 1 1/2 cups water, 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 T lemon juice, 2 T sugar, 2 tsp oregano, 2 tsp basil, 2 tsp thyme, 1 T garlic powder, and 1 T onion powder. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 8-12
Adapted from www.food.com