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Zucchini dish

carpaccio di zucchini inspired by our family dinner at cucina

Published by fairfaxhill

Cucina is one of our favorite restaurants. Slowly, it has turned into our go-to place for birthday dinners, especially when they fall in the middle of the week and we don’t have enough time to cook something special.

Our order typically includes pizza and pasta. Bombolotti al Sugo is a favorite, and we all like to share the Frito Misto as our starter. We rarely order dessert, since the cake and presents are typically waiting for us back at the house.

A few weekends ago we were there again to celebrate Patrick’s parents’ wedding anniversary and got to try some new dishes, including Funghi Ripieni, Carpaccio di Zucchini, Insalata con Bettole, and Donna’s Amazing Almond Cake. 

I liked the Carpaccio di Zucchini so much, I had to try to recreate it at home. And guess what? It turned out pretty good. So, I’m sharing my recipe with you.

But before I do that, I need to highlight that the key to getting this dish right is to move quickly. And, to make the salad look as pretty as the one at Cucina’s, it’s important that you slice the zucchini into even matchstick pieces 1-1/2 inches long x 1/8 inches wide. Prep all the ingredients ahead of time, so that you can quickly toss everything together in the pan. Remember, you are just warming this up; you don’t want to overcook the zucchini or burn the garlic. If you follow these tips, the result will be perfect.

As for the other dishes I loved, the Funghi Ripieni reminded me of this recipe we made some years ago. Unfortunately, I haven’t been so lucky to find a good recipe that resembles Donna’s Amazing Almond Cake, which I thought was absolutely delicious.

Do you have a good almond cake recipe? If you do, let me know in the comments. I’ll look in my recipe collection and keep you posted if I find one that is close to it.

I hope you are enjoying the long weekend!🌻

Zucchini dish

Carpaccio di Zucchini

(My take on Cucina’s recipe)
Serves 2, generously

Ingredients

  • 3 small, unpeeled zucchini, ends trimmed and cut into matchstick pieces about 1-1/2 inches long x 1/8 inch thick (about 4 cups)
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
  • 3 tablespoons sliced almonds with skin, lightly toasted
  • 1 oz. shaved Pecorino or Parmesan cheese for garnish (do not skip this!)
  1. Cut the zucchini into matchstick pieces. Set aside.
  2. Lightly toast the almonds. Set aside to cool.
  3. In a large skillet set at medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the olive oil and garlic, being careful not to burn the garlic.
  4. Quickly add the zucchini to the pan and gently toss it with a spatula ensuring the butter, olive oil, and garlic mixture coats every piece. This will only take a minute or two. Turn off the heat and add the toasted almonds. Combine well.
  5. Serve in a large platter or individual plates.
  6. Garnish with shaved Pecorino cheese and black pepper to taste. Enjoy right away.

making ice cream cones is easy!

Published by fairfaxhill

When it comes to ice cream, I’m not sure what I like the most, the ice cream or the cones. Every time I go to Fairfax Scoop, our favorite ice cream shop in town, I wonder how difficult it would be to make sugar cones at home like the ones they make at their store. Would I need to have special equipment? This thought crossed my mind again last Sunday as we drove through town on our way to the supermarket. Sarah was driving, so I was able to use my phone to google a bit and found a recipe that looked pretty easy.

It was almost 90 degrees outside and ice cream sounded like a good idea. We got the ingredients at the store and got started right away after we got back to the house. Making sugar cones sounded a bit intimidating, but honestly, it was super simple! All you need is a bowl and a whisk and something to prevent the cookies from sticking to the baking sheet. I used a silicone mat but you can use parchment paper, too. This way you can easily scoop up the cookies and roll them up into the cone shape. Just take your time and let it be an experiment. I’d say, don’t invite a bunch of friends over the first time you try these. (That was my approach.)

Obviously, I need more practice. The cones didn’t look super beautiful, but they tasted delicious! Next time, I might make a mold so that they are all the same shape as they show in this video from America’s Test Kitchen. But honestly, if you are careful, you won’t need the forms.

Homemade Ice Cream Cones

Slightly adapted from baking-sense.com, because I was out of a few ingredients.

ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar (I used brown sugar)
  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 eggs
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup milk (I used reduced-fat milk or 2%)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup flour

method

In a large bowl, use a whisk to combine the sugar, eggs, salt, milk, vanilla, and butter. (Make sure the butter has had time to cool down and is not too hot.) Slowly, incorporate the flour until the mixture resembles pancake batter. Cover the bowl and set it aside to allow the batter to rest for at least 30 minutes before baking. (This mix can also be stored in the fridge for a few days, just make sure the mixture is at room temperature before baking.)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a cookie sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper, make two cookies by thinly spreading about two tablespoons of batter per cookie in the shape of a circle. Mine were about 5-7 inches in diameter. I left about 1 inch between each cookie so they wouldn’t touch. The key to making these is to spread the batter super thinly to ensure a crunchy result.

Bake each batch for about 8 minutes, until golden brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Use a spatula to lift each (still hot) cookie up and roll them up in the shape of a cone. If for some reason the dough hardens before you have achieved the right shape, placing the cookies back in the oven for a bit will soften them up again. Continue to work in batches until you have the desired amount of cones. To store, let the cones cool completely and place them in an airtight container. Enjoy them with your favorite ice cream!

Makes about 20 cones. (This all depends on your skill level and how many you mess up.) I made 5 and called it a night. So worth it, though!

peach parfait

new knitting patterns by kim hargreaves and an easy peach parfait

Published by fairfaxhill

Happy Father’s Day! It’s been hot in Marin this weekend. Yesterday was about 80 degrees, but it felt like 90 indoors. This week has been busy and exciting. First: I got my passport last Monday, which means I get to go on our family vacation this summer. I am super happy and excited about the trip.

This weekend, we also celebrated Patrick’s parent’s 60th wedding anniversary. As part of the celebration, we gathered for a delicious dinner at Cucina in San Anselmo. We had a great time. There were speeches, a few tears of joy, and lots of laughs. The food was really good. I especially loved two of the salads: Carpaccio di Zucchini, which had thinly sliced zucchini, almonds, and pecorino cheese, and the Insalata con Bettole, with roasted beets, avocado, arugula, goat cheese, almonds, and a shallot-mustard vinaigrette. I am definitely going to experiment and make something similar at home; either would be a perfect summer lunch all on its own.

I also went jogging on Saturday which makes me feel super proud of myself. I’ve been slacking on the exercise routine for months, but my motivation is back, and I’m trying my best to hold on to it.

This morning, we had breakfast with the whole family to celebrate all the dads before everyone goes back home. It was great to see family. We are all quite excited to go on our trip together.

For the four of us, Father’s Day plans include cooking a Pollo in Vin Cotto recipe (chicken in wine) and most likely, lemon bars made by Sarah, for dessert.

Anyway, this week I have a few things to share.

Kim Hargreaves’ easy summer style patterns

Kim Hargreaves released her newest pattern book this week, which has thirteen designs to choose from. If you like simple, casual tops, and are a fast knitter, this book is for you! The release comes a bit late, I assume as a result of the pandemic, so I don’t think I will get to knit any of these this year (I’m too slow of a knitter), but I can already see myself wearing a few of these tops with jeans next summer. Take a look at the full collection or buy the book.

IMAGES, Kim Hargreaves.com (Patterns: top left: HAPPY; top right: BLUSH; bottom left: GRATITUDE; bottom right: MINDFUL)

Paella in Fairfax

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of the great things about the Fairfax farmers’ market is that you can shop and grab dinner at the same time and give yourself a mid-week cooking break. What immediately caught my attention last Wednesday was the paella stand — a new addition? I’d never seen such gigantic pans, and the paella looked and smelled delicious.

I found out the paella was from Gerard’s, a restaurant we had stumbled upon on Father’s Day a few years ago, when we rode the SMART train to Santa Rosa for the first time. We thought the paella was excellent. Unfortunately, when we tried to go back some months later, we found out the restaurant had closed.

Today, after a little research, I found out that although the restaurant did close, they still offer catering services and sell their paella at local farmers’ markets. How lucky are we?! Dinner next Wednesday? I especially want to eat this again after I found out Gerard once beat Bobby Flay in a paella Throwdown challenge.

Make sure you get to the market early to get the chicken paella. They were all out by the time I got there!

Father’s Day paella lunch at Gerard’s restaurant in Santa Rosa, 2019

Easy peach + yogurt parfait

Yesterday, I made myself a well-deserved peach and yogurt parfait for breakfast after my jog. I posted the recipe on Instagram, but I thought I would share it here as well.

peach and yogurt parfait
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt (plain/natural flavor)
  • 1 fresh peach, peeled and sliced into medium wedges
    (Use the sweetest peach you can find, from the local farmer’s stand will be even better!)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla syrup
  • 2 tablespoons granola (We love G-nola’s Toasted Coconut flavor.)

Place the yogurt in a bowl, mix in the vanilla syrup, add the peaches and granola. Enjoy

What will you be making today? Let me know in the comments.

hair style exhibit sfo 2021

week 23 recap + a fun Exhibit

Published by fairfaxhill

a day of airports, planes and automobiles

I had to fly to LA last Monday to renew my passport. My day started at 3 a.m. and I didn’t get home until about 10 p.m. It was a very long day, to say the least, full of stress and delays as well as many hours at the San Francisco airport where I got to see the Hair Style exhibit. Did you know people didn’t feel the need to buy shampoo or other hair products until the early 20th century?

I loved all the hairdryers and the hairdo sculptures. You can read more about the exhibit and see more photos online at the SFO Museum website. I think I’d love the job of putting together these types of exhibits. I should look into it. Related to this, if you haven’t watched the Netflix series Self Made, you should. It’s good!

I made it! It was a miracle that they waited for me after my flight was delayed three times. Our flight was supposed to leave SFO at 6 a.m. but the pilot got sick and the plane was stuck in LA waiting for someone to fly it to SF to pick us up and take us to LA. It was terrible. I got on the plane at 10:30 a.m. and my appointment was at 12:30 p.m. I still had to pick up a rental car and drive to the consulate. I’m incredibly grateful to the people at the consulate that helped me.

As always, my favorite part of any flight is when the plane takes off, so I always ask for a window seat. I can’t help filming. So if you’re into that.

crossing my fingers and practicing Italian

Now, I just need to cross my fingers and hope I get a passport in time for the upcoming family vacation, which should be AMAZING. I am trying very hard not to think about how disappointed I’ll be if I can’t go. In the meantime, I’ll be brushing up on my language skills — just in case. Mango Languages is my favorite language learning app these days, aside from Duolingo, and it’s free if you live in Marin and have a Public Library membership.

[UPDATE: I got my passport! Yay!]