Beet "zuppetta" with vanilla & basil gelato, balsamic and black pepper

I was going through folder of older pictures and found this dessert that I totally forgot about.
I love it..it's a little "out there", but be open and give it a try.

At the restaurant we made our own gelato, but what you can do, in a pinch, is to blend a handful of basil leaves with a couple spoonfuls of vanilla ice cream ( the richer and the fatter the better ), mix it in the rest of the pint and put it back in the freezer, till the end of the dinner.

The other prep you'll have to do ahead is to reduce the vinegar by placing 2 cups of balsamic into a skillet and reduce it to at least 50% over low heat.

Now, for the beet zuppetta, just peel your beet (s), diced them somewhat small and blend them with a bit of lemon juice and sugar adding a tiny bit of water if the blender screams for it.

That's it...just pour the beet in a glass, cup or bowl, scoop some gelato on it, drizzle with the reduction and add a basil leaf, touch of freshly ground black pepper and very few sea salt crystals.

Enjoy.

Spring is coming...

Thank God February is over..as for as far as I can remember it has been the worst month of the year for me; March is here at last and it started with a good kick in the right direction!
Last Friday night I cooked for 10 beautiful and really fun ladies from the US,; the occasion was a birthday and what follows are some pics of part of the courses taken by my friend and collegue Giulio Lupori ( @Actorando, his Twitter handle).

We started wit a fillet of roasted red pepper rolled around a smoked tuna panzanella, flavoured with Spanish smoked hot paprika and served with a sliver of aged sheep's cheese, as sharp as they come, and a drizzle of 25 y.o. balsamic vinegar.

Next was a light salad of grilled peaches, heirloom tomatoes, basil, mixed greens and dry ricotta that I featured once already on these blog.

The first of the two main courses was this great yellowtail carpaccio

served with a roasted tomato and peppers sauce, on the lines of a Romesco, a black olive and parsley pesto, an assortment of grilled vegetables and spicy hot tortilla crisps.

The lamb barbacoa followed... I tried to give this traditional Mexican lamb dish a little contemporary twist and I think I pulled it off.

The lamb has been cooked in the traditional barbacoa style but I choosed to sear it a bit before serving it. It caame atop roasted poblano peppers tortillas, with a puree of the chickpeas it's been cooking with, some smashed avocado and a reduction of its own stock.

On the side we served a little salad of grilled new nopales and red onion lightly pickled in sherry vinegar.

The dessert was a little spicy chocolate number with a spicier tequila creme anglaise.

The event was a round success and a great time was had by all...yours grumpy truly as well....

Left to right: Giulio, CookAndTheFly, Lupita

Recipes will follow, starting tomorrow...

From the Land of Mañana,

Ciao,

E.  : )

Tomato, peach, onion, dry ricotta and basil salad

The first heirloom tomatoes are showing up in the Baja farms and, paired with other great local fruit and produce, make for some fantastic and inventive salads... like this one:

Very easy, as it should be...
cut tomatoes and peaches into wedges, slice the purple onion very fine and toss with S&P and the very best olive oil you can get.

Plate it, drizzle with good balsamic vinegar or reduced balsamic, sprinkle a few basil leaves and freshly grated dry ricotta.

That's it, done and ready to serve!

Buen provecho!