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Preparation time - less than 30 minutes
Ingredients needed
6 - 12 fresh zucchini flowers, rinsed and towel dried (if a zucchini garden is not at hand, then the local specialty food store should be visited)
2 - medium or large fresh eggs 
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of white pepper
1/4 cup of non-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
1/2 cup of white flour (For gluten free use chickpea flower)

Chefzeca Ratatouille

As described in  the “Food Lover’s Companion” Second Edition;  “Ratatouille is a popular dish from the French region of Provence that combines eggplant, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, zucchini, garlic and herbs.“  This dish can be prepared in different ways such as simmering or baking the vegetables separately in olive oil then combining them and serving the dish cold or hot. I prefer to bake them as this enhances the flavor. 

Serves 6-8 as an appetizer or 4 as a main meal

Ingredients

3 medium eggplants
3 large white or red onions
3 medium zucchini
2 medium to large sweet red bell peppers
2 small to medium potatoes
8 garlic cloves finely chopped
1/4 cup of chopped scallions
1/2 cup of black olives,  pitted or with the pit. I prefer non-canned olives which are bought by the pound.  Canned olives tend to have minimal flavor.
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt; depending on your taste buds!
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of ground white pepper, depending on your taste buds!
 10 - 12 tablespoons of olive oil 

Preparation 

Peel the onions, garlic, potato, eggplant and the zucchini.  The zucchini and eggplant should be peeled so that alternating vertical lengths of skin is left on. See photo below. Slice the eggplants, onions, zucchini, potatoes and bell peppers into about 1/4 inch circular slices. Keep each type of vegetable separated.      

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F._
In a 10 inch by 15 inch glass or metal baking pan spread about 4 tablespoons of olive on the bottom of the pan. Arrange the vegetables in layers as follows: eggplant, onion, tomato, potato, zucchini, and red pepper. At the third (tomato) and last (red pepper) vegetable layers add salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil over both the third and last layers. The chopped garlic should also be spread out over both of layers.  Finally spread the olives over the top. See photo below.  Place in preheated oven and allow to bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, cover the entire pan with aluminum foil and lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake for another 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

Ingredients

3-4 medium to large fresh red cayenne peppers   
1 pound bag of easy to peel or peeled uncooked shrimp. Cooked frozen shrimp can be substituted.
6-8 tablespoons of pure non-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons of butter or margarine
6-8 medium garlic cloves
1 to 1 and a half teaspoons of Paprika
1 teaspoon of Old Bay Spice (optional)
1/2 teaspoon black or white ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt or to taste
1/4 cup white wine

Preparation

Remove the stems and seeds from the peppers. Cut the peppers vertically down the center and slice into 1 inch pieces. Heat 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet and add 3-4 chopped garlic cloves. Within several minutes after the garlic is added; add the chopped peppers. Reduce the heat to medium. Within 5 minutes the peppers and garlic are ready. The remaining ingredients can now be added.  Start with the butter. Let the butter melt and stir into the mixture. Add the remaining olive oil and garlic. Add the paprika, Old Bay Spice (optional), ground pepper and salt. Stir ingredients and after 2 minutes add the white wine. Let the alcohol in the wine boil off, reduce heat to low-medium and then add the shrimp.

The shrimp are cooked when they turn from translucent to a white pinkish-orange color. The shrimp should be fully cooked through within 5 minutes.

Chicken, meats, seafood  

recipes

Chefzeca Simple Shrimp in Garlic and Wine Sauce

This is a real simple recipe that anyone can prepare in less than 20 minutes and it tastes GREAT! 
Serves 3-4

Ingredients

1 pound bag of easy to peel or peeled uncooked shrimp. Cooked frozen shrimp can be substituted.
3 tablespoons of pure non-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons of butter or margarine
5 medium garlic cloves
1 - 1/2 teaspoons of Paprika
1 teaspoon of Old Bay Spice
1/2 teaspoon black or white ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup white wine 

Shrimp and Garlic with Cayenne peppers. 

Quite spicy!

 If cooked frozen shrimp are used, thaw the shrimp first, then place them in the wine mixture after the mixture is boiling. For extra sauce just ad a 1/2 cup of additional wine. Make sure the wine comes to a boil andcontinue as directed above, and then add the shrimp.

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Easy to Prepare Appetizers

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Cayenne peppers, garlic and shrimp make for a great taste! And, it's simple to make. Preparation time is less than 30 minutes. Generally this dish should accompany other seafood appetizer dishes.

Serves 4 + 

Preparation - in a large frying pan heat the oil using medium heat. In a mixing bowl, beat the raw eggs with a fork until they are thoroughly mixed. Add a little water (no more than 1/4 cup) to the beaten eggs and continue to beat the mixture until it is uniform. Take the zucchini flower one at a time and dip it into the mixture, thoroughly covering the flower. Then coat the flower (all around) with the white or chickpea flour and dip it once more in the egg mixture. Place the dipped/coated flower in the heated oil and saute it on all sides for about 5 minutes. A golden brown color completes the process! Serve as an appetizer or with breakfast sausage and eggs.

Preparation

Stir ingredients and after 2 minutes; add the white wine. Let the mixture come to a boil, reduce heat to low-medium and then add the shrimp.  Mix shrimp into the wine mixture. You can tell the shrimp are cooked when it turns from translucent to a white pinkish color. The shrimp should be fully through cooked within 5 minutes. If cooked frozen shrimp are used, thaw the shrimp first, then place them in the wine mixture after the mixture is boiling. Let stand in the wine mixture for 3-5 minutes and serve. 

For extra sauce just add a 1/2 cup of additional wine. Make sure the wine comes to a boil and continue as directed above, and then add the shrimp. 

Serve hot or warm with other appetizers or serve over rice. And don’t forget to dunk you favorite crusty bread in the sauce and enjoy! 

For a great early summer app! Try sauteed zucchini flowers coated with egg batter. 
A quite flavorful app!​