For our 200th blog party we decided on a simple, fun, no-cook menu. We headed to our fantastic local Italian market, Mazzaro’s, and bought a wonderful assortment of meats, cheeses, and other goodies.
Our first stop was to the cheese counter where we met Charlie. We sampled many great Italian cheeses and settled on three – Robiola Bosina (a soft cheese made with both cow and sheep’s milk); Moliterno al Tartufo (an amazing truffle sheep’s cheese from Sardinia); and Alpeggio (a mild hard cheese).
Next stop was the meat counter. After another round of tastings we picked hard salami, Sopressa, Proscuitto di Parma, and Speck.
To round out our platter we added:
- Red seedless grapes
- Fuji Apples
- Dried apricots
- Black Mission Figs
- Jar grilled artichokes by Decarlo
- Jarred Pomodorini – sweet cherry tomatoes by Decarlo
- Kalamata Tapenade
- Mixed Olives
- Rosemary Cracker
- Breadsticks
A wonderful time was had by all and there were no pots or pans to scrub!
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This salad is often featured on Italian restaurant menus as a Caprese salad. However, you can substitute the mozzarella with other types of cheese to suit your taste. The key to this salad is to serve ripe and flavorful tomatoes (which sometimes are a challenge to find in sunny Florida for reasons beyond comprehension). If you are not a mozzarella fan, substitute Parmesan sliced thin with a vegetable peeler, use cubed feta, or sprinkle crumbled blue cheese. You can also line your platter with romaine lettuce leaves, add grilled chicken or shrimp, and turn this salad into a complete meal.
Colorful Tomato and Cheese Salad
Ingredients
- vine-ripened tomatoes look for Kumato
- 8 ounces cheese mozzarella, feta, blue or Parmesan
- one package fresh basil
- good-quality olive oil
- good-quality balsamic vinegar
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper
- pitted Kalamata olives optional
Instructions
- Thick slice the tomatoes.
- Slice, cube, or crumble your cheese of choice.
- Arrange tomatoes on attractive platter and alternate with mozzarella or Parmesan, or cover with feta or blue cheese. This can be done several hours in advance and refrigerated.
- Take out of refrigerator a half-hour prior to serving.
- Slice basil with a kitchen scissor and scatter over the tomatoes and cheese.
- Right before serving, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Top with olives if using.
For this recipe, you can substitute the spinach with sliced zucchini and mozzarella with any cheese you like. Serve a simple green salad on the side and you have a meal!
A Quick Quiche Lunch
Ingredients
- 9- inch baked pie shell
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 medium tomato sliced thin
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp flour
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup half-and-half or milk
- 1/2 tsp oregano or basil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- fresh basil leaves and black pepper for topping Chopped
Instructions
- Bake pie shell as directed on package.
- In large skillet over medium heat, saute onion and spinach in butter for about 5 minutes.
- Place half of the tomato slices on bottom of pie shell.
- Sprinkle spinach mixture, cheeses, and flour into pie shell.
- Beat together remaining ingredients until well blended and pour over vegetables and cheeses.
- Top with remaining tomato slices, fresh basil leaves, and pepper.
- Bake in pre-heated 375° oven until knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 50 minutes.
Notes
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These bite-size treats are so delicious, your guests will gobble them up!
Pizza and Ham and Cheese Spiral Bites
Ingredients
Ham and Cheese Bites Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed cut in half crosswise
- 2 Tbsp stone ground Dijon mustard
- 3 ounces deli ham sliced thin
- 1/2 cup Swiss cheese grated
- 1 large egg
- bunch flat-leaf parsley
Pizza Bites Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed cut in half crosswise
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup Asiago cheese grated
- 3 ounces pepperoni sliced
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 large egg
- bunch flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
Ham and Cheese Bites
- Spread a Tbsp mustard over each puffed pastry rectangle, leaving a small border on one edge.
- Layer ham and Swiss cheese on top of mustard.
- Beat the egg and brush each plain border.
- Keeping ingredients in tact, roll the pastry up to the egged border and seal.
- Wrap each roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to one day.
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Cut each roll into 15 slices and place on an aluminum foil lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until pastry is browned.
- Arrange on platter and decorate with parsley.
Pizza Bites
- Follow same layering and baking directions as above, substituting Asiago, pepperoni and seasonings for ham and Swiss.
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