Fresh, ripe tomatoes, cucumbers and basil (the more you cut basil the more it grows). The classic recipe is plum tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. You can also use beefsteak, heirloom, tomatoes of different colors which when they come together make, along with stale bread, a classic Italian salad, panzanella. This is a perfect salad to make when it’s hot and sunny.

Panzanella
Bread and Tomato Salad


Panzanella, at its core, is really a way to use up crusty day-old crusty bread that has gotten hard and gives an accent to the perfect summer tomatoes. It’s a cooling summer salad that relies on the bread as the “filler” to soak up the juices of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, olive oil and red wine vinegar, which you pour over it.

This salad was once a poor man's dish that has become a touristy trendy dish. Some suggest that you should only make this salad in summer, and only use the best and freshest ingredients. However, I contend that with all sorts of ripe fresh summer produce, available in winter, it’s a pity not to makes this great salad with such great ingredients, all year round, and yes only use the best and freshest ingredients.

4 cups day old ciabatta or country-style bread *
Ripe tomatoes, beefsteak, heirloom, plum and cherry, cored, seeded & chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 medium red onion – in slices
⅔ cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano, for garnish
¼ cup drained capers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
¼ cup pitted kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish

Cut the bread into cubes
Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds and cut the tomatoes into 1 inch cubes and set aside
In a large bowl, whisk ⅔ cup of oil, vinegar, and garlic, season with salt and pepper to taste
Add the bread, tomatoes, cucumber, onion and basil; toss to combine and transfer half the mixture to a deep dish
Soak the capers in 2 tablespoons of vinegar in a small bowl for 10 minutes and drain
Arrange the capers and olives over the bread mixture.
Repeat layering with the remaining bread mixture, then the remaining capers, and olives.
Cover the salad and let stand at room temperature for the flavors to blend, for at least 1 hour
Garnish with the basil sprigs and serve.

* If you don't have hard day or two old bread you can take fresh crusty bread, cut it into cubes, lay out on a baking sheet, and put in a 300° F oven for 5-10 minutes, until the outer edges have dried out a bit (not toasted, just dried)
If you use fresh bread without drying the bread will disintegrate into mush in the salad

Fresh, ripe tomatoes, cucumbers and basil (the more you cut basil the more it grows). The classic recipe is plum tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. You can also use beefsteak, heirloom, tomatoes of different colors which when they come together make, along with stale bread, a classic Italian salad, panzanella. This is a perfect salad to make when it’s hot and sunny.

Panzanella
Bread and Tomato Salad


Panzanella, at its core, is really a way to use up crusty day-old crusty bread that has gotten hard and gives an accent to the perfect summer tomatoes. It’s a cooling summer salad that relies on the bread as the “filler” to soak up the juices of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, olive oil and red wine vinegar, which you pour over it.

This salad was once a poor man's dish that has become a touristy trendy dish. Some suggest that you should only make this salad in summer, and only use the best and freshest ingredients. However, I contend that with all sorts of ripe fresh summer produce, available in winter, it’s a pity not to makes this great salad with such great ingredients, all year round, and yes only use the best and freshest ingredients.

4 cups day old ciabatta or country-style bread *
Ripe tomatoes, beefsteak, heirloom, plum and cherry, cored, seeded & chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 medium red onion – in slices
⅔ cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano, for garnish
¼ cup drained capers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
¼ cup pitted kalamata olives, halved lengthwise
Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish

Cut the bread into cubes
Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds and cut the tomatoes into 1 inch cubes and set aside
In a large bowl, whisk ⅔ cup of oil, vinegar, and garlic, season with salt and pepper to taste
Add the bread, tomatoes, cucumber, onion and basil; toss to combine and transfer half the mixture to a deep dish
Soak the capers in 2 tablespoons of vinegar in a small bowl for 10 minutes and drain
Arrange the capers and olives over the bread mixture.
Repeat layering with the remaining bread mixture, then the remaining capers, and olives.
Cover the salad and let stand at room temperature for the flavors to blend, for at least 1 hour
Garnish with the basil sprigs and serve.

* If you don't have hard day or two old bread you can take fresh crusty bread, cut it into cubes, lay out on a baking sheet, and put in a 300° F oven for 5-10 minutes, until the outer edges have dried out a bit (not toasted, just dried)
If you use fresh bread without drying the bread will disintegrate into mush in the salad

Garides Turkolimano

Shrimp in Tomato and Feta Sauce

2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
2 14.5 ounce cans petit dice tomatoes
Or
3 fresh tomatoes, seeded and chopped
¼ cup fresh Italian parsley - chopped
1 Tbsp fresh dill minced or 1 teaspoon dried
1½ pounds medium sized raw shrimp, peeled, deveined with tails on, thaw if frozen
A pinch of salt – taste & adjust
A pinch of pepper
¼ pound feta cheese - crumbled

Preheat oven to 400° F

Heat the oil in a large, oven proof skillet on medium high heat
Add the onions and cook until softened, 5 minutes
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds more

Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer, reduce the flame and let simmer for 8-10 minutes, until the juices thicken a bit

Remove from the heat. Stir in the herbs, shrimp, feta cheese, check for salt and pepper

Place the skillet in the oven and bake, uncovered, until the shrimp are cooked through; it will take about 10-12 minutes

Serve with crusty Italian bread, or over pasta or rice

Tomato season is coming along with a great quantity and quality of tomatoes. My preferences are the Roma style, also known as egg shaped tomatoes, and the big cherry tomatoes. The Cherry tomatoes are the ones we will be dealing with this week and I think you will like the recipe

Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Feta and Olives

Depending on the use adjust the amounts of Feta, tomatoes and olives. I will give you portions for 10 to 12 persons.

½ pound Feta cheese, cut into small cubes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; plus additional for drizzling
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1-2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano – if not ½ teaspoon dried
1 basket large cherry tomatoes
10-12 pitted Kalamata olives, cut in slivers lengthwise

Toss the cubed feta in oil, onion and oregano in bowl, season with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to your liking.

Cut the cherry tomatoes, crosswise, in half; scoop out the pulp with a melon baller or a teaspoon.

Place the cherry tomatoes, cut side up, on plate or platter you will be serving them in and sprinkle again with a little Sea salt or Kosher salt, no pepper thisd time.

Stuff the cherry tomatoes with the marinated feta and place the olive slivers alongside cheese.

At this point drizzle some additional Extra-Virgin olive oil to enhance the flavor

If you want to make it spectacular; add slivers of Sicilian or Agrinio green olives

Recently I read a recipe from a Greek website for Sicilian Arancine. It read so bad that I have decided to publish “the real” Sicilian recipe.

SICILIAN RICE ORANGES

A R A N C I N E





4 cups rice
1½ sticks butter - room temperature
5 large egg separated
2 cups Parmiggiano cheese - grated
5 cups peanut oil - for deep frying
salt and pepper





In separate bowls place

2 cups home-made bread crumbs
And the
5 reserved egg whites, lightly beaten

Cook the rice 15 minutes and drain. Return to the pot and stir in the butter, salt and pepper and let cool overnight at room temperature or refrigerate. The next day: Stir Rice and add egg yolks - stir well and add grated Parmigiano cheese and stir well.

Place bread crumbs in a platter - beat the egg whites lightly and put next to pot with rice. Heat the oil in a deep pot for frying to 375 degrees.

Arancine can be frozen and microwave heated, if they last more than a week or two.

The stuffed version with meat, peas and vegetables, is basically the same recipe. Sauté 2 lbs. chopped meats in olive oil, when fully cooked add the peas and any other small cut vegetables you desire. Add 1 can (4½ ounces) of tomato paste, allow to simmer for one hour or so - or until the sauce is thick and the meat and vegetables are cooked. Allow to cool completely before placing a teaspoon into the middle of the rice ball.

Place a large handful of rice in your hand and roll into large size golf balls, make a cavity and stuff with a teaspoon of meat sauce and again shape into a ball.
Roll into the egg whites and into the bread crumbs and deep fry until golden brown. Drain on paper and allow to cool before serving.

To make the recipe a little richer and to make it look like a real orange, add a pinch of Saffron when cooking the rice and omit the tomato sauce.

Sicilian-Greek Antipasto

When summer arrives there is nothing like a good fresh mixed salad

Slices of Mortadella
Slices of Basturma
Arucola, Romaine hearts or Bibb lettuce
Carrots - julienne
Kalamata and Sicilian green Olives - cracked
Cherry tomatoes - halved
Ricotta salata (salted ricotta) and Feta cheese

On a platter, arrange the sliced meats, preferred salad greens, carrots, tomatoes and cheeses.
Prepare a vinaigrette of your choice, best is Extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar, wine or balsamic, with salt and pepper. Mix wells and let sit in refrigerator for up to one hour.

Shake well and drip the vinaigrette on everything but the Mortadella and Basturma.

And to follow that, a light summer pasta

Pasta con Pomodorini
Spaghetti with small tomatoes

1 pound Spaghetti or other pasta
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
¼ cup thinly sliced garlic
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 small basket small cherry tomatoes, stems removed; crush with your fingers
½ cup fresh basil leaves - torn into pieces
salt
pepper
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta
While the pasta is cooking, heat ¼ cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the garlic, cook until the slivers are golden brown and crisp, add the chilis and cook for about 30 seconds

Raise the heat to high and add the tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes soften and the juices thicken, about 3 minutes
Add the basil and season with salt and pepper.

When the pasta is al dente - reserve about ½ cup cooking water and drain the pasta
Return the pasta to the warm pot or a heated sauté pan and add the sauce and mix well

Add some of the reserved cooking water if the pasta seems dry

Transfer to a, warm, serving bowl and sprinkle some grated Parmigiano

Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve