Here are a couple of the recipes from Friday night's cooking class. Y'all will (surely) be happy to know that FL and I went shopping on Saturday and I located long forks like the ones used for the pasta, and fish bowls! I am well on my way to being that much more fabulous.

Zucchini Flowers, Apples, and Kren
I Fiori di Zucca, Le Mele, e Kren

per 4 persone

-2 dozen zucchini (or pumpkin) flowers. These are best picked from the garden in the morning, when they are still cool and strong. You can find them at the farmers market or Whole Foods, as well.
-1 large red bell pepper
-1 red apple, the more bitter, the better
-a nice hunk of Montasio (a cows' milk cheese made in Friuli. There is Montasio at Whole Foods right now! Otherwise, a young i.e. softer, grate-able cows milk cheese)
-Horseradish root


Wash the zucchini flowers thoroughly and gently and allow to dry completely. Empty the bell pepper of it's seeds and all the white parts inside. Slice into long, thin strips.

Heat a pan and add a pat of butter, enough to coat the pan. Add the red bell pepper slices and cook briefly, so that they become flexible but not transparent. You want them to retain a little crunch. Put them aside.

Add a little more butter to the pan, and some fine sea salt. Drop the zucchini flowers into the pan; they should shimmer and puff, not burn or deflate, so watch your heat. They shouldn't cook long enough to lose their color.

On the plates, shave a peeled apple, letting the bits fall into a pile. On top of that, add the grated cheese.

Re-scald the red bell pepper back in the buttered pan with a tad of salt right before plating, so that they become a bit crunchy. Place them on top of the apple and cheese. Top this with the zucchini flowers. Over all of this, amply grate some horseradish.




Scruptous End-of-Summer Pasta
I Girini

per 4 persone

To make the pasta:
-4 eggs
-1 1/4 cups flour

For the vegetables:
-2 small zucchini, grated fine
-3 large porchini muchrooms, sliced fine
-8 zucchini flowers, sliced into ribbons

-Aged goats cheese, or a something strong, like Grana Padano
-butter
-extra virgin olive oil
-sea salt, both fine and coarse
-crushed black pepper
-oregano

Break the eggs into a bowl and beat. Let them sit like this for about 5-10 minutes, the add the flour. Beat vigorously, until the batter becomes runny and smooth. Let this sit for about 15 minutes. Bring some water to a simmer (not a boil!). Pour the batter into a colander and push it through the tiny holes with the help of a spatula. The batter should hit the simmering water and come together in little noodles. They should be done almost immediately, so as soon as they all look formed, fish them out with a netted/slotted spoon. Immerse them in another dish of cold water to cool, then drain.

In a pan, bring a large pat of butter to melt. Add the finely sliced porchini and cook for about a minute. Then add the zucchini and cook another minute, sprinkling with fine salt and cracked black pepper. Add the zucchini flowers, sliced into ribbons, and cook less than about 30 seconds. Turn the heat off and toss with oregano. It is important that the vegetables are just barely cooked, holding their texture and firmness.

Add the drained pasta to the pan and gently toss all together. The pan should still be warm, but be sure the heat is turned off. This dish is not served hot.

Once everything is together, season again with salt and pepper, to taste. Scoop into the serving bowls, and grate large pieces of a hard, sharp cheese over the top. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Buon appetito!