Sunday, July 21, 2013

 

Caprese Pasta Salad

ingredients:

  • 4 cups packed fresh basil leaves
  • 1 pound fusilli pasta
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 ounces small mozzarella balls (ciliegine or bocconcini), halved
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 tablespoons capers, drained

directions:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Blanche basil leaves in boiling water for 30 seconds or until they turn bright green. Transfer to an ice water bath with a slotted spoon to stop the cooking, then drain, squeezing out any excess liquid.
  2. Cook pasta according to package directions until just al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl to cool.
  3. In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine blanched basil leaves, olive oil, vinegar, shallot, salt, pepper flakes, and black pepper and pulse until uniform and very finely chopped. Pour dressing over pasta and stir until until evenly coated. Add mozzarella, tomatoes, and capers and toss to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Salad will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days, although the basil will start to discolor slightly after the first day.

 

rhubarb clafoutis

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add the rhubarb and ¼ cup of the sugar to the bottom of an 8-inch tart pan and toss until evenly distributed. Set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the eggsuntil well beaten. Sift the flour into the bowl and whisk to combine well. (Sifting flour minimizes the occurrence of lumps in the batter.) Add the remaining ½ cup of the sugar, milk, heavy cream, and the vanilla bean seeds to the bowl, whisking until well combined and thickened.
Pour the batter over the rhubarb-sugar mixture and place the tart pan in the oven. Bake until the edges pull away from sides of the tart pan and the top is golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.
Pantry Note: Leftover clafoutis can be stored in the fridge, well covered,  for up to three days. Save the vanilla bean pod for making vanilla sugar, or if you can’t find a vanilla pod, add a spoonful of vanilla extract to the batter, instead.

 

Farro with Tomato

Serves: 4 as a side, 2 as a hearty main
2 cups water
1 cup (updated) semi-pearled farro (sometimes labelled “whole farro;” see Note above for explanation)
1/2 large onion (I usually use a white one, for mildness)
2 cloves garlic
9 ounces grape or cherry tomatoes
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher or coarse sea salt
Up to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Few basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons
Grated parmesan cheese, for serving
Place water and farro in a medium saucepan to presoak (I find just 5 to 10 minutes sufficient) while you prepare the other ingredients. Adding each ingredient to the pot as you finish preparing it, cut onion in half again, and very thinly slice it into quarter-moons. Thinly slice garlic cloves as well. Halve or quarter tomatoes. Add salt, pepper flakes (to taste) and 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan, and set a timer for 30 minutes. Bring uncovered pan (no lid necessary) up to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. When the timer rings, the farro should be perfectly cooked (tender but with a meaty chew), seasoned and the cooking water should be almost completely absorbed. If needed, though I’ve never found it necessary, cook it for 5 additional minutes, until farro is more tender.
Transfer to a wide serving bowl. If there’s enough leftover cooking liquid to be bothersome, simply use a slotted spoon to leave the amount you wish to behind. Drizzle farro lightly with additional olive oil, scatter with basil and parmesan. Eat immediately. Repeat tomorrow.

 

Crispy Cauliflower Cakes


 

Lobster Corn Risotto

  • (2-pound) lobster, cooked
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 cups chopped onion
  • celery stalks, chopped
  • (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
  • Risotto:
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped onion
  • garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 1/4 cups Arborio rice
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup fresh corn kernels
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1/3 cup chopped green onions
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation

  1. To prepare stock, remove meat from cooked lobster tail and claws. Chop meat; chill. Place lobster shell in a large zip-top plastic bag. Coarsely crush shell using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Place crushed shell in a large saucepan; add 3 cups water, 2 cups onion, celery, and clam juice. 
  2. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and cook 20 minutes. Strain shell mixture through a sieve over a bowl, reserving stock (about 3 cups); discard solids. Place stock in a large saucepan; keep warm over low heat.
  3. To prepare risotto, melt butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add 3/4 cup onion and garlic; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add rice; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add wine and salt; cook 2 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently until each portion of stock is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total). Stir in reserved lobster meat and corn; cook 2 minutes or until heated. Remove from heat; stir in cheese, green onions, and lemon juice.

 

Zucchini, Squash and Corn Casserole

Preparation

  1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bring first 2 ingredients and water to cover to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and boil 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain; gently press between paper towels.
  2. 2. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a skillet over medium-high heat; add onion, and sauté 10 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, and sauté 2 minutes.
  3. 3. Stir together squash, onion mixture, corn, next 6 ingredients, and 1/2 cup each breadcrumbs and Asiago cheese just until blended. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
  4. 4. Melt remaining 2 Tbsp. butter. Stir in remaining 1 cup breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup Asiago cheese. Sprinkle over casserole.
  5. 5. Bake at 350° for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown and set. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

 

Shrimp Tacos with Corn Salsa

Preparation

  1. 1. Preheat broiler to high.
  2. 2. Combine corn and oil in small bowl; toss gently to coat. Arrange corn in an even layer on a jelly-roll pan; broil 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Combine corn, onions, cilantro, 1 tablespoon juice, salt, pepper, and avocado in a medium bowl; toss gently.
  3. 3. Heat a large grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Combine shrimp, 1 tablespoon juice, and honey in a medium bowl; toss to coat. Add shrimp to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done.
  4. 4. Combine sour cream and remaining 1 tablespoon juice in a small bowl.
  5. 5. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Place 2 tortillas on each of 4 plates. Top each tortilla with about 1/4 cup corn mixture, about 4 shrimp, and 1 1/2 teaspoons sour cream mixture.

 

Vegetable Cobbler

Directions



Tuesday, July 02, 2013

 

Hemingway Daiquiri

  1. Ice
  2. 2 ounces white rum
  3. 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
  4. 1/2 ounce fresh grapefruit juice
  5. 1/2 ounce maraschino liqueur
  6. 1 lime wheel, for garnish (optional)
  1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the lime wheel and shake well. Strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with the lime wheel.

 

Quinoa Cakes

Quinoa Cakes – Greek Style
Prep time:  
Cook time:  
Total time:  
Serves: Makes 10 cakes
 
Ingredients
Quinoa Cakes:
  • 2 cups cooked Quinoa (1½ cups Quinoa cooked with 1½ cups water)
  • ½ teaspoon Dried Oregano
  • 2 tablespoons Fresh Parsley (can be subbed for basil)
  • ½ cup Kalamata Olives (pitted and chopped fine)
  • ¼ cup Sun Dried Tomatoes (chopped)
  • 4 oz Feta (crumbled)
  • Eggs
  • 4 tablespoons Oat Flour
Artichoke Hummus:
  • 2 cups Marinated Artichokes
  • 2 teaspoons Red Wine Vinegar
Instructions
  1. In a bowl mix all the ingredients for the quinoa cakes well
  2. The texture will be very moist, but should hold up if you make a meatball with it
  3. (Feel free to add an additional tablespoon or 2 of oat flour if needed to bind things)
  4. Grease up your pan with a little EV olive oil if needed
  5. Make about 10 even sized balls and squash them onto a hot pan (I used a large griddle to cook them all at the same time)
  6. Cook until golden on each side and they firmly set
  7. In a food processor add the artichokes and vinegar
  8. Puree until smooth, it should be the cosistency of hummus
  9. Serve!! Enjoy!!

Monday, July 01, 2013

 

WHITE BEAN MANICOTTI WITH CREAMY DILL SAUCE

Creamy Dill White Bean Manicotti

Recipe from: Created by Cathy Pollak for NoblePig.com | Serves: 8

Ingredients

For the Filling:

  • 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans
  • 1/2 cup white kidney beans (cannellini)
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 (8 oz) package dry manicotti shells (16 shells)

For the Dill Bechamel Sauce:

  • 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1/2 cup Saucy Mama Dill Mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese
  • fresh oregano, optional

Directions

  • To the bowl of a food processor add the cream cheese, ricotta cheese, eggs, beans (both kinds), garlic, pepper and salt. Process until a creamy paste is formed. You will have to push down the sides of the bowl a couple of times.
  • Scoop filling into a pastry bag or a Ziploc bag (cut the corner off once filling is in place). Pipe filling into uncooked manicotti shells until full. Set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • To make the sauce, in a large saucepan melt butter over med-low heat. Whisk in flour to make a roux. Cook and stir for 2 minutes to help cook out the flour taste (do not brown).
  • Gradually add milk into roux. Stir constantly to prevent sticking. Add mustard and keep stirring. Cook until thickened, about 5-8 minutes, whisking all sides of the pan constantly. When thick, add salt, pepper and nutmeg.
  • Fill the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish with about 1 cup of the sauce. Place manicotti filled shells on top of the sauce and top with the rest of the sauce and mozzarella cheese. (it will seem saucy but don't worry, it's not.) Cover baking dish with aluminum foil.
  • Bake for 40 minutes covered. Remove aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes more. Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with fresh oregano.

 

EDAMAME POTSTICKERS

Truffled Edamame Potstickers with Shallot White Wine Broth
Author: 
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Prep time:  
Cook time:  
Total time:  
Servings: 6
 
Steamed edamame is pureed with cream and truffle oil, then wrapped in wontons and gently cooked. Yeah, I said “gently.”
Ingredients
Shallot and White Wine Broth
  • 8 ounces shallots, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1½ cups white wine
  • ½ cup chicken stock
  • Pinch of thyme
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Dumplings
  • 1½ cups frozen shelled edamame
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tbsp truffle oil
  • Pinch of Kosher salt
  • 32 wonton wrappers, cut into 2¾-inch rounds
  • Pat of butter
Instructions
Broth
  1. Heat butter in a small saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat until melted. Add the shallot and cook, stirring frequently, until deeply browned. Remove from the heat and stir in thyme.
  2. Deglaze with the wine. Reduce and then add the stock. Simmer for ten minutes, and season with salt and pepper.
Dumplings
  1. Cook the edamame in boiling water till tender, about five minutes. Strain and slip off skins. Puree with butter, cream, truffle oil, and salt to taste. Let the filling set in the fridge until firm.
  2. Place 1 dumpling wrapper on work surface and top with 1 teaspoon filling. Brush edges with water and press to seal, forming a half moon shape. Keep wrappers covered with a damp towel to avoid drying out. Repeat process until all wrappers have been filled. Place dumplings on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze until firm. Transfer dumpsicles to a zip-top bag in the freezer.
  3. Place steamer basket in a medium saucepan and fill to the steamer with water; bring to a boil. Cut a circle of parchment paper the size of the steamer basket with a slit in the center for the handle. Place the parchment round in the bottom of the steamer. Place the dumplings on the parchment, working in batches if necessary, cover and steam until wrappers have softened and filling is cooked through, about 12 minutes.
  4. While the dumplings are steaming, heat a tab of butter in a sauté pan. Transfer the cooked dumplings to the sauté pan and lightly brown.

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