Mediterranean Style Recipes from Chef Veera
I recently told you about the virtual cooking class I took from Chef Veera, and I told you I made a few of her recipes afterward. I’m excited to share them with you! Click on the headings below to get the recipes from Chef Veera’s site. She encourages us to play with the recipes to work with what we have or what we prefer, so I’ve shared my personal tweaks under each recipe.
Zucchini Noodles with Pesto
Now THIS is a tasty way to eat vegetables! Veggies feature prominently in the Mediterranean style of cooking as does olive oil. In this recipe Chef Veera uses a small amount of bacon (BACON!!!) to add even more flavor. This recipe is simple and delicious!
Classic Savory Panzanella (Bread Salad)
Bread salad is a new but welcome concept to this bread-loving girl! I enjoyed making this dish because I love time with my chef’s knife and my cutting board. Chopping veggies is therapeutic for me! I listen to a book or a podcast and chop, chop, chop away! And can I just tell you about Oil & Vinegar’s garlic olive oil?!? Oh my word!!! I got a sample of it when I took my first virtual class with Chef Veera via Greenville, South Carolina’s Oil & Vinegar store, and I ordered a big bottle of it soon afterward! Toasting cubes of baguette in this…YUM!!! Panzanella is a perfect summertime dish, but it’ll show up on our table year ’round, I think. Next time I make this I will prep everything but mix up only half of it at a time. That would be enough for us. (I cook for three adults.)
Dessert Panzanella
Oh, golly, was this one delicious! My family raved about it! I loved the crunch of the toasted cake and the creamy tang of the mascarpone combined with the sweet, soft mangoes! WOW! A stunning mix of textures and flavors!
I used a lemon pound cake that I bought from Publix. Since the top was glazed and sticky, I cut that part off and cubed the rest. (My husband was quick to “rescue” the discarded pieces and eat them!) The recipe says to brush the cake with lemon olive oil, but I used blood orange riesling oil since that’s what I had. I recently purchased mango pulp vinegar, so I used that in the syrup. Then, to accentuate the mango taste, I opted to use mangoes instead of peaches. My family doesn’t love coconut, and I didn’t have cherries, so I left both of those out. Next time I may use salted, roasted pecans instead of candied pecans.
This sounds like a lot of changes, and I guess it is. The main point is that you can use what you have! Are you a non-baker?!? You can wow your friends with this one since you don’t actually have to bake anything!
I look forward to making more of Chef Veera’s recipes in the weeks ahead! Let me know if you try them out and which ones you like best. I’ll do the same!
Don’t forget about Chef Veera’s amazing online classes!!! Click HERE to see what’s coming up, and click HERE to follow Oil & Vinegar Greenville. That’s an easy way to start learning about their products and the Mediterranean way of cooking/eating.
