Because it’s the weekend.

Because it ended up being sunny instead of rainy.

Because I can stay up late tonight reading cookbooks.

Because I can sleep in tomorrow.

Because the beautiful Ontario asparagus have arrived.

Just because.

Ciao!

The picture above is of a delicious asparagus and rice soup that I made. I’ll post the recipe once the first blush of love has passed (i.e., in a few days)!

A few weeks ago, as I began hearing about people’s plans for Father’s Day, it occurred to me that ever since my father passed away in 2001, we’ve been spending Father’s Day in our own special way.

Now neither Father’s Day nor Mother’s Day were ever huge days in my family. My father always said that every day should be Mother’s Day and every day should be Father’s Day so while my parents always appreciated our little gifts and well wishes, they instilled in us the belief that honouring your parents is something you should do all the time.

I guess that’s why Father’s Day has never been a particularly tough day for us. It’s not that we don’t think about him, it’s just that we spend the day the way we always spent it even when he was alive: together enjoying a nice meal.

When I received the June issue of Gourmet magazine, I came across a feature by Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez called “Sear Delight”. The entire menu is prepared on the grill and is also Italian-themed. This being Italian June, I thought that I might take it upon myself to prepare the entire menu!

So for this edition of Magazine Mondays, I give you the following treats:

Grilled Pancetta-Wrapped Asparagus

Love pancetta. Love asparagus. Enough said.

Caramelized-Onion and Gorgonzola Grilled Pizza

This was my first time preparing a grilled pizza and I loved it. I was amazed at how quickly it cooked. I was so afraid that the ingredients would spill over, though, that I was a bit ungenerous. Next time I’ll be piling on that gorgonzola dolce for sure!

Grilled Veal Chops with Arugula and Basil Salad

We grill veal chops all the time but this is the first time that we pounded the meat so thinkly. They were so tender! And the arugula and basil salad was a nice touch although I had to augment it with romaine lettuce as our arugula is just coming in so there wasn’t enough for a full salad.

Grilled Baby Artichokes with Caper-Mint Sauce

Prepping the artichokes was a total pain in the butt, however, it was worth it. These were the hit of the day and that caper-mint sauce had us all licking our fingers.

Acini di Pepe Pasta with Garlic and Olives

Some of us liked this pasta salad with the couscous-like acini di pepe and some of us didn’t. I loved it. It was garlicky and spicy but if I make it again I might add in some herbs for more of a flavour impact.

Stracciatella Tortoni Cake with Espresso Fudge Sauce

Hello, Tortoni! This was a cross between an ice cream cake and heaven. I loved it so much that I’ve already decided I’m making it for a big family BBQ that we’re having in a few weeks. And that sauce … oh, that sauce!!!

Have a great week, everyone!

Ciao!

Look who else is taking part in Magazine Mondays: Liliana of My Cookbook Addiction made Maple Sugar Ragamuffins. Wandering Coyote of Retorte comes in with two delicious entries: Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake and Coconut Blondies.

If you have some magazine piles you need to thin out then start cooking and baking and send me a link to your Magazine Mondays post!

It’s hot in Toronto.

And rainy.

And stormy.

The heat and humidity have come full on and it’s just far too hot to even contemplate turning on the oven and baking. But being closed inside begins to feel a bit like being trapped, so of course I’ve turned to my cookbooks and magazines and am sitting here enjoying them with a coffee.

But just because I can’t bake it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t bake either. I turned to my blog bank (the file of recipes that I’ve tried but haven’t posted yet) and pulled out this little gem.

Asparagus season has been glorious this year and I made these little treats after seeing them in the spring issue of the Donna Hay magazine (Issue #29). These little tarts are very easy to make and would be perfect as an appetizer or even as a main course along side a lovely summer salad.

Basically you’re rolling out some puff pastry, spreading on some ricotta and laying a few asparagus spears over the ricotta. A brief visit to the oven and these babies are ready to go.

If you’re lucky enough to be able to bake today, enjoy! As for me, I’m waiting for the rain to stop so I can hit the lawn chair under the pear tree and suck back a few mojitos!

Ciao!

Asparagus Tarts
From the Donna Hay magazine, Issue #29

puff pastry (enough to roll out to produce at least four rectangles that are roughly 5 x 2 inches at about a 1/4 inch of thickness)
1 cup ricotta
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 tbsp. chopped basil
1 to 2 bunches asparagus (trimmed and washed - how many asparagus bunches you use will depend on how many spears in each bunch)
extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll out the puff pastry and cut out at least four rectangles that are 5 x 2 inches. The puff pastry should be about a 1/4 inch thick. Place the rectangles on the prepared baking sheet.

In a bowl, combine the ricotta, the salt and pepper, the lemon zest, the Parmigiano Reggiano and the basil. Mix well. If the mixture is too thin, add a bit more Parmigiano. It should be thick almost like a cream cheese.

Spread some of the ricotta mixture over each puff pastry rectangle. Leave a border of about half an inch all the way around. Lay two or three asparagus spears over the ricotta. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on the asparagus and drizzle with a bit of olive oil.

Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes and check the tarts. The puff pastry should be golden and the asparagus should be soft when pierced. If not, bake for a few more minutes. (When I made these, I used thick asparagus spears so it took about 16 or 17 minutes to bake.)

Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Technorati tags: asparagus, puff pastry, donna hay