Italian winter recipes

This recipe may be a bit time consuming, but the presentation and taste are well worth it. I love the combination of eggplants, red peppers, black olives and zucchini with the two types of cheese.

Ingredients
Two Red Peppers Roasted And Cut Into 1 Inch Thick Strips
One Medium Eggplant
3 Zucchini
2 Large Potatoes
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
1/2 Pound Goat Cheese
4 oz. Mozzarella Cheese, Grated
1 Bunch Basil, Leaves Removed And Washed
--Garnish:--
1 1/2 Cup Cherry Tomatoes
1/2 Cup Small Tasty Black Olives
2 Cups Spring Salad Mix
--Balsamic Dressing:--
1/4 Cup Quality Balsamic Vinegar
3/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to Taste
2 Teaspoons Chopped Fresh Parsley
2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Black Olives

How to do it
Mix all salad ingredients together and let sit at least one hour for the flavors to develop.
To Make The Vegetable Roll: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. F. Cut the potatoes into thin slices (a mandolin works best), and place on an oiled baking sheet. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft, and are beginning to take on color. Peel the eggplant, cut in half, and remove a good portion of the center containing seeds. Cut the eggplant into slices, place on a baking sheet, and brush with olive oil. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until the eggplant has soften and cooked through. Let cool, and chop into pieces. Slice the zucchini into thin slices, and bake as you did the potatoes, until softened, about 10 minutes.
Prepare three sheets of foil, by laying them on top of each other to create a rectangle. Oil the top layer of foil. Using the potato slices, arrange an overlapping rectangle of about 12 x 12 inches. Season with salt and pepper. Place the zucchini slices in a similar fashion on top of the potatoes. Down one side, place an overlapping layer of the pepper strips. Immediately next to the pepper strips, add a row of the eggplant. Repeat this step so you have two alternating rows of eggplant and peppers at one end. Lay on top of the eggplant and peppers, a row of basil leaves. Mix together the goat cheese and mozzarella, and spoon this mixture on the eggplant/pepper mixture. Starting at the end where the eggplant/pepper mixture was placed, carefully roll up the vegetable mixture tightly into a tube, using the foil to help as needed. Secure the ends by twisting the foil, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
Roast the cherry tomatoes in a 400 degree F. oven until they split and begin to blacken. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Remove the vegetable roll from the refrigerator, and leaving the foil in place, cut four equal slices. Heat a frying pan with a little additional oil, fry each slice of vegetable roll on both sides for 3-4 minutes. Place each slice on an individual plate, place a little salad mix on top and drizzle with the balsamic dressing. Decorate the plate with the roasted tomatoes and black olives.

This recipe is as pretty as it is delicious. Dried porcini are ground into a powder that is used to coat the fish fillets. They are served on a bed of mashed potatoes and topped with a white bean and vegetable dressing which brings the flavors together nicely.

Ingredients
2 Pounds Grouper Fillets
1 Cup Dried Porcini Mushrooms
2 Tablespoons Oil
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Carrots
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Onion
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Celery
1/2 Tomato, Diced Into 1/2 Inch Cubes
1 (16oz) Can White Beans, Drained
1/4 Cup Parsley, Finely Chopped
1/2 Cup Chicken Broth
2 Tablespoons White Balsamic Vinegar
Salt & Pepper To Taste
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Three Cups Prepared Mashed Potatoes

How to do it!
Place the dried porcini in a food processor or blender and pulse until you have a fine powder. Roll each fish fillet in the powdered mushrooms until well covered. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a frying pan, heat the two tablespoons of oil until hot. Sear the fish fillets on each side for a couple of minutes until golden. Place in a baking dish and bake for about 15-20 minutes.
While the fish is cooking, heat the 4 tablespoons of oil in a pan, and sauté the carrots, celery and onions until tender. Remove from the heat, and add the diced tomatoes, beans, chicken broth, olive oil, parsley and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm. Once the fillets are cooked, serve each on a bed of mashed potatoes, and then spoon some of the white bean mixture on top. Serve immediately.

Sauteed greens vegetables, nice paired with almost any entree.

Ingredients
1 1/2 to 2 Pounds Greens
4 Quarts Water
Salt
3 Cloves Garlic
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Red Hot Pepper (Or Dried Pepper Flakes To Taste)

How to do it!
Rinse the greens well. Bring the water to boil in a large pot. Drop in the greens and cook until tender, 3-5 minutes. Drain well, and rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Place the oil and the garlic in the pot and heat until sizzling. Add the greens, and mix well. Add salt and pepper, and red pepper until you have reached your desired level of heat. Serve.

This is essentially the Italian variety of the French Crème Bruleee. It's an extremely easy recipe: there is no better way to end a meal than with this tasty dessert! The crisp sugar topping can be made with the oven broiler.

Ingredients
1 Cup Heavy Cream
2/3 Cup Milk
7 Egg Yolks
1/2 Vanilla Bean (Or 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract)
1/2 Cup Sugar, With Extra For The Topping

How to do it!
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Bring the cream and milk to a boil with the vanilla bean. Remove from the heat, and let cool for 5 minutes. In a bowl, beat together the egg yolks and sugar. Begin to add some of the milk mixture to the bowl, mixing well. Continue until all the milk has been combined with the egg mixture. Pour this mixture through a fine strainer, and into 4 individual ramekin dishes. Place these dishes carefully on a baking sheet, and place in the oven. Bake for about 50 minutes until almost firm. Cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Sprinkle some additional sugar on top, and either broil or use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar.