During the Harry Potter reading phase, we have a light diversion of the culinary kind. Please consider the torta al testo, a traditional Umbrian flatbread which was part of a sublime experience I had in the city of Assisi, and about which I wrote recently.
This spring I had dinner with a friend and we documented the making of the light torta al testo supper we shared.
The recipe for torta al testo is simple, but there are a couple of catches. The link above has my recipe, but this website has photos. Scroll down-- there are a number of recipes on the same page.
Last night I sauteed boneless chicken thighs with zucchini, red peppers, and fresh herbs. If you try this, you will not be able to stop eating, unfortunately.
For the photographed supper, I chose whole-milk mozzarella and browned sweet Italian turkey sausage. I grated the cheese and scattered some on the inside surface of the torta, then put the torta back into the oven to melt the cheese.
When everything is brown and hot and bubbly, you can put in whatever else you like. For this supper I used baby salad greens.
Then, if you like, you can drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. This is only if you want an extra-rich taste. Some, such as Rachel Ray, the TV cooking diva (and whom I can't stand for some reason), call for using "EVOO" to cook with in most recipes. But I use regular cheap olive oil for cooking-- even in pancakes, as Andy of Andy's Diner once suggested (tastes terrific and is healthier than butter)-- and only add extra-virgin as a flavor-enhancer or as the oil in a salad.
(By the way, if you use balsamic vinegar as the primary vinegar in your salads, you should know that many Italians are against this practice. It is too strong a flavor for such a light dish, and I must say after comparing that I concur. No less an authority than Marcella Hazan writes in Marcella's Italian Kitchen [p. 6] that "a few drops" of balsamico "ennobles" a regular olive-oil and vinegar dressing. In this case, as in so many others, less is more.)
As you can see, this makes a tee-rrific presentation with fresh strawberries and red wine. I suggest Hacienda Pinot Noir or Mark West Central Coast Pinot Noir if it is available. And if you are not fussy like Miles Raymond in Sideways (love you, La Madsen!), Hacienda Merlot is also an excellent choice. Or maybe a nice Chianti, with or without fava beans.
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