Back to recipes and eating

It is time to get back to the basic reason I began writing this blog and that is creating and eating exciting food after weight loss surgery. The month of May has been a busy one with lots of dinner catering here in Italy. We have cooked a number of different meals for groups of visitors. We have had to cook meals dominated by meats, and other meals that were predominantly vegetarian in nature. Cooking for vegetarians and lactose or gluten intolerant visitors provides a challenge to creating interesting meals acceptable to all the guests but meet the nutritional and dietary requirements often for only one person.

So here are some recipes from our May 2010 menus. I will comment on each one in light of their suitability as part of EightBites thinking, but they are all quite nice and while some may not be suitable for EightBites, they can be useful and important to creating exciting dishes for your families and friends. So enjoy the dishes and eat together at the table. These are primarily antipasti, but subsequent blogs will include pasta and meats.

Crostini with smoked salmon (or other smoked fish), crema with chives and lemon mostarda
This crostini uses toasted slices of homemade beer bread as the crostini base. The recipe for my beer bread follows. I like making the beer bread for the smoked fish crostini using toasted dill seeds and crushed dill weed. I also add some onion powder and some grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to the bread for flavor. Bread in the EightBites diets can be a bit of a problem since it fills the stomach but does not add much nutritionally. But sometimes you just have to have some bread. When I make this crostini I eat one of the pieces (just to test it to be sure it’s good). Quality control you know.

There are a wide variety of options available for this crostini. If you purchase smoked salmon it can be chopped into dice and added directly to the cream cheese and chives, and then spread on crostini. Or the cream cheese can be made, and spread on the crostini and then topped with a small piece of salmon.

Cheese (crema) topping:
Whip 8 oz of mascarpone cheese and 8 oz cream cheese (or 16 oz of cream cheese)
Add 1/4 cup chopped chives and 1 Tbs of lemon juice
Taste and add salt and pepper to taste
Spread on crostini and top with a small dollop of lemon mostarda.

This dish will work well with other types of smoked fish such as swordfish. Or if you have a stovetop smoker, smoke your own.

Lemon mostarda
Two cups of water
1 1/2 cups of sugar
Rind from 5 lemons, peeled with a vegetable peeler and sliced into fine julienne
Juice from the five lemons
Slice another lemon into eighths and slice crosswise into very thin lemon wedges, remove seeds
Two tablespoons of yellow or black mustard seeds toasted
3-4 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (to taste)

Bring water and sugar to a rolling boil and boil for 10 minutes
Add grated lemon peel and juice and return to a boil.
Add small slices of lemon, and allow to cook at a simmer for 20 minutes
Toast mustard seeds in a dry frying pan until they start to pop
Grind in a mortar or spice mill to a coarse texture
Add to fruit mixture
Taste and add 3-4 tablespoons (or more) vinegar (This is my preferred option)
Simmer for 30 minutes
Chop coarsely in a food processor
Ladle into washed canning jars (1/4 pint)
Seal and process for 5 minutes in boiling water bath
Remove from the water bath to a rack
Allow to cool.


Beer Bread
This recipe makes one loaf of bread. It takes about 5 minutes to mix up and bakes in under an hour. Turn the oven on to 375 degrees F and grease a 1 pound loaf pan with olive oil or butter. Use self-rising flour if you have it available, but a good substitute can be made easily using flour and baking powder (1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder to 1 cup of flour).

The basic bread recipe is simple:

3 cups of self-rising flour or three cups all purpose flour plus 1 1/2 tablespoons of baking powder
¼ to ½ cup of sugar (depending how sweet you want it to be)
A pinch of salt
1 12 oz beer (the type of beer will alter the flavor, dark-richer, light-less beery)
Now is the fun part. Before adding the beer, this flour mixture can be flavored by the addition of a wide variety of items before baking. Mix in one or more different ingredients into the dry flour mixture to vary the taste. Mix in the dry or additional ingredients well before adding the beer.

I have used:
Garlic powder 1/2 tsp
Onion powder 1/2 tsp
Sautéed onions ¾ cup
Chopped salami ¾ cup
Chopped sun dried tomatoes ¾ cup
Grated pecorino cheese ½ cup
Parmesano/Reggiano cheese ½ cup
Dried chili peppers 1/8 tsp
Grated Asiago cheese ½ cup
Dill weed 1 Tbs
Mix the dry ingredients together; pour the beer into the center of the flour mix.
Stir to make thick, sticky dough.
If it appears too thick and not moist enough, add a tablespoon or two of water.
Place in a greased 1 pound loaf pan
Bake in a pre-heated 375o oven for 55 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped.
Five minutes before the time is up pour a bit of melted butter over the top and return to the oven.
Make up your own flavor or try them all. Just not too many different things in one loaf.


Crostini with cream cheese and peperone agrodolce
This crostini again uses toasted beer bread and either seasoned or unseasoned cream cheese. I toast the crostini in a grill pan until ther are crisp but still soft in the middle. Then I spread the bread with the cream cheese and top with a spoonful of the peperone agrodolce. Cut into three pieces and serve.

Sweet and spicy pepper marmalatta (Peperone agrodolce)

1 yellow bell pepper, remove the stem, seeds and interior ribs and slice lengthwise into thin slices
1 red bell pepper, remove the stem, seeds and interior ribs and slice lengthwise into thin slices
2 large onions, peeled, cut into half and sliced into thin slices (should be approximately 2 cups)
3 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and sliced thinly

Place vegetables in a deep sauté pan and add ¼ cup olive oil
Add ½ teaspoon salt
Add ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (this can vary with your tolerance for the heat)
On medium heat, sauté peppers and onions for approximately 20 minutes, stirring frequently
Add 2 cups of water and return to a simmer
Add ¾ cup of vinegar (wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or rice wine vinegar, not Balsamic)
Add 3/4 cup of sugar to the vegetables and continue to simmer.
Taste the mixture to determine the balance between the vinegar and the sugar
Add either as appropriate
Continue to cook the vegetables down until they are quite thick
Taste and adjust seasonings (it should be a balanced sweet and sour and not overpowered by either)
Place in ½ pint washed jars, seal and process in a water bath for 5-6 minutes
Remove and cool. Keeps for months
Or allow to cool and place in a storage container in the refrigerator
Can keep for several weeks


Crostini with sautéed mushrooms or mushroom pate
Sauté 3 cups of sliced mushroom in 2 Tbs olive oil and an ounce of butter.
Cook over medium-low heat until they start to caramelize and shrink in volume.
Add 2 cloves finely chopped garlic and another tablespoon of butter.
Add ½ cup Marsala wine and allow it to cook down until there is almost no liquid left.

At this point they can be placed in a food processor and pureed with three tablespoons of cold butter into a pate. This should be placed in a sealed container and in the refrigerator.

The sautéed mushrooms can also be served directly on toasted crostini. You might consider using a small spread of fig marmalatta on the bread before putting the mushrooms on. It adds a nice surprise flavor. Can be served at room temperature or warm.

Fig marmalatta
1 dozen large ripe Mission or green figs
I onion, chopped (more if desired)
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
Sugar (to taste)
Red pepper flakes(to taste)
Apple cider or wine vinegar (to taste)

Directions to make the fig puree:
Place a dozen large figs cut into quarters in a large saucepan.
Add a chopped onion and 3 cloves of garlic.
Add water to cover and cook over medium heat for approximately 1 hour until figs are very soft.
The mixture should be reduced by about ½.
Place the fruits in a food processor or using a stick blender, puree till smooth.
Put back over low heat and continue to cook to thicken the puree.
Stir at frequent intervals.
Check for seasonings and add salt and pepper.

I found a couple of tablespoons of vinegar made a great difference in sharpening the flavors.
Add 2 tablespoons of sugar if you want it sweeter and to balance the vinegar
Pack in ½ pint clean jars and refrigerate or water process to can for longer term storage.
Keeps about three weeks fresh or they can be stored for longer periods if canned


Bruschetta with sautéed broccoli rabe, garlic and anchovies
This is an excellent and unusual antipasti and can be made with green field vegetables other than broccoli rabe. I have also used chard, mustard greens and a vegetable they call cavolo nero here in Italy. I use the rustic Italian salt-less bread toasted in a grill pan as the base for this. Rub the bruschetta with a raw clove of garlic, brush with good olive poil and add a sprinkle of salt, before adding the sautéed vegetables. It is not strictly for EightBites consumption but it’s so good it is worth the lack of protein.

The greens are cleaned under running cold water and if the stems are tough, they are trimmed off. I like to cook the stems, roughly chopped in the boiling water before I cook the leafy portion of the greens which are also coarsely chopped.

In boiling salted water, cook the greens plus 4 or 5 peeled cloves of garlic until they are done and soft. Drain the greens and refresh under cold water, then allow to drain well. Squeeze the greens to remove excess water and place the greens in a bowl in the refrigerator. Pour a bit of olive oil over them before putting them away covered with plastic wrap.

To prepare the bruschetta topping, first grill slices of French or Italian bread to a nice toasty color, rub with a clove of raw garlic, brush with olive oil and sprinkle on a bit of salt. Chop the greens into a fine dice. Add three more chopped cloves of garlic to the greens. Using a 10” sauté pan, put 3 tablespoons of olive oil into the pan and heat over moderate heat. Add the greens and the garlic and stir the mixture while it sautés. Add 4 anchovy fillets (in oil) and allow the anchovies to cook into the greens and disappear. Continue to cook the greens until they start to dry slightly. Remove from the heat. Place a small pile of greens on the bruschetta, spread it to cover and top with grated pecorino or Parmigiano cheese. Put on a baking sheet and into a 350 degree oven for ten minutes (or less) to bring the bruschetta to temperature. Cut the bruschetta into two or three pieces and place on a serving platter. The greens can be kept under refrigeration for several days. Just heat on the bruschetta and serve.


Cucumbers with goat cheese and slow-roasted tomatoes
This dish uses the wonderful fresh goat cheese available here locally. It is high in protein but does tend to fill the stomach with the cucumber slices. One or two of these are a nice addition to your dinner.

Peel and slice cucumbers into ½ inch slices
Mix 4 ounces of goat cheese with a bit of milk to soften if necessary
Add 1 or 2 crushed chopped clove of garlic and a tablespoon of chopped chives
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Roll a small ball of the goat cheese and place on top of the cucumber slice
Top with a half of a slow-roasted cherry tomato

An alternative is to just top the cucumber with the spiced goat cheese and serve.
Slow oven-roasted tomatoes
Cut 25 to 30 cherry tomatoes in half and place in a bowl. Add ¼ cup of olive oil, a teaspoon of dried oregano, a teaspoon of sugar and a bit of salt and pepper. Allow the tomatoes to marinate for an hour. Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet and turn them all over so the cut sides are up. Place in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes then turn the oven off, open the oven door slightly and allow the tomatoes to remain in the oven overnight. The next morning they should be shrunken and dried but still moist and tasty. Store in a plastic container in the refrigerator for a week or more. ‘

Stuffed peppers with sausage and cheeses
This is a nice addition to the antipasti selections. It is high in protein, has a nice spicy flavor and is served hot directly out of the oven. I eat two or three of these whenever I make them for guests. They can be made with sweet peppers with you controlling the spiciness of the filling or using Jalapeno peppers if you want a lot more heat. Jalapenos can be quite variable in their heat intensity

1-2 dozen sweet peppers approximately 3” long and about 1 ½” wide
1 pound of fresh Italian sausage (you can use spicy hot or mild)
1 medium onion
4 ounces of cream cheese
1 Cup grated Parmigiano/Reggiano cheese (or pecorino or a combination of the two)
Brown the sausage, and the chopped onion in a sauté pan and crumble into very small pieces when done completely and allow to cool.
Mix cheeses together with a hand mixer or in a food processor with the steel blade.
Add sausage and mix thoroughly.
Set aside to cool or put in a container in the refrigerator.
Slice the peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds and ribs.
Rinse the peppers and allow them to drain on a rack.
When dry, place cut side up on a baking sheet.

Turn oven to 400oF and preheat

Fill the peppers with the sausage/cheese mixture mounding the mixture slightly.
Place the baking sheet with the peppers in the oven to brown and melt the cheese (3-4 minutes).
Remove from oven, remove from baking sheet and place on a serving platter.
Serve immediately