I recently found the website, foodgawker.com...how have I never know that this existed?! All of the photos of the food looks so professional and amazingly tasty. As I was scrolling through, I saw this photo of these rolls that were bright yellow and green, with a crisp white (what looked like cheese) middle. The photo looked so delicious that I HAD to click and see what the ingredients were! To my surprise, the recipe was written in Romanian....thank goodness for Google Chrome, which gives you the option to translate right there. After the recipe translated, I realized that there were definitely some words and phrases that were lost in translation, but I understood what needed to be done, and what they were using.
They had used squash and zucchini, and rolled a cream cheese mixture into them. As I was reading the recipe, I realized that I could put my own spin on it. I decided to roast the veggies instead of boil them. The original recipe called for slicing the veggies thinly and then dipping them into boiling water. After a couple minutes in the boiling water, the recipe said to "let cool on an absorbent fart". I decided not to go that route. Instead I removed the skin (which is of course optional, but removing the skin makes for a less lovely presentation), and then thinly sliced them before putting them on a sheet pan. I then drizzled them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Then placed them into a 400 degree oven for 10 mins. After 10 mins, I flipped them over and let them cook for another 10 mins.
After they are roasted, simply remove them and let them cool. While they are cooling, I put together my filling. I took a cup of ricotta cheese, and mixed it with 1 egg, salt, pepper, and chopped spinach. I also through in some minced garlic and Parmesan cheese for good measure. Stir ingredients until combined. After that, line up 3 slices of zucchini and squash, and let the edges slightly overlap. The stuff with a tbsp of the cheese mixture and roll. After all of the slices have been rolled, put them back into the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes. Top with sauce and serve with your choice of pasta and garlic bread.
This was by far the best side dish (and not to mention, the easiest) one that I have probably ever made! This was a combined idea between my hubby and myself, that went along with the comfort food meal that I made for him on Friday. He went grocery shopping with me, and decided that he wanted to try some summer squash and zucchini. He wasn't sure how he wanted it cooked, but he knew that he wanted these flavors. I told him tons of different ways I could cook it, and let him decide which one he wanted. I let him know that they could be roasted, fried, sautéed with garlic, etc. He chose them sautéed with garlic...any mention of garlic added and we are pretty much both sold on the cooking technique.
So, I started off by peeling both the squash and zucchini. I then sliced them pretty thin, and through them in a pan with some garlic and a little olive oil. I just let them hang out and get golden brown before flipping them. The cooking process probably took about 10 mins total. The result was beautifully done and golden veggies with a hint of garlic flavor. I then finished this off with some salt and pepper (of course).
The only thing we could both say between mouthfuls of veggies, was mmMMMmmmm. :) Who knew that vegetables could taste so good?
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