Italian Nostalgia

When my beautiful sister, Mary, and I were in Italy, we fell in love with a Siena specialty: thick, glutinous noodles called Pici. We also discovered semifreddo; a wonderful "half-frozen" mousse-like custard.

I recreated Cacio E Pepe (Cheese & Pepper) using a variation of the recipe from the linked website, but used the pici noodles that I brought back with me instead of spaghetti noodles.


To accompany, we enjoyed a salad of organic baby arugula, radicchio, Roma tomatoes, crisp celery, walnut halves, quality olive oil, and aged balsamic vinegar.


A decadent lemon and amaretti semifreddo topped with raspberry coulis was just the ticket for dessert. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...


All of the above dishes were quite easy to put together, but tasted extraordinary.

Buonissimo!

Japanese-style Cabbage Salad

I made this salad for the first time last night to accompany a Japanese-style meal, and I liked it a lot. It will definitely be a regular guest at our table! Sorry, no photo. It was gobbled up too quickly ;)

Ingredients

1/2 large head cabbage, cored and shredded

• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

• • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 3/4 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix ingredients together, let sit at room temperature for a bit to let flavors mingle, and enjoy!

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Roasted Eggplant Salad with Feta Cheese and Pine Nuts

I really just love eggplant so much! I think I could eat it everyday. But, out of consideration for my lovely family and their opinion that is quite different from mine, I do not! Even though summer has come to an end, eggplant is still growing and going strong in our neck of the woods, and I had a big hankering for it yesterday and so I made this really delicious salad for dinner.

Ingredients (to serve 6)

2 large eggplants, sliced into 1-inch-thick rounds

1 tsp dried marjoram (or 2 tsp fresh, if you can find it)

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

12 oz. mixed salad greens

1/3 lb feta cheese, crumbled or cut into small cubes

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

cherry tomatoes

Dressing:

juice of one small lemon

salt

pepper

• First, toss the sliced eggplant with the olive oil and marjoram in a large roasting pan, and roast at 400 degrees until done, about 30 minutes, stirring every so often.

• Meanwhile, wash the salad greens.

• When the eggplant is done, toss the salad greens with the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Divide the greens among 6 plates, sprinkle some pine nuts and feta cheese on top of the greens, then arrange the slices of roasted eggplant on top with a handful of cherry tomatoes.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Summer Vegetables

Tonight I made more good (in fact, delicious) use of the summer vegetables I bought the other day at the farm. The recipe I used is from Alain Ducasse, and the concept is to stuff a variety of vegetables with several meats, mushrooms and cheese, along with a small amount of the vegetable that is being stuffed.

Chef Ducasse suggests that the stuffed vegetables may include: tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, and onions. For this meal I used just tomatoes and zucchini. When you are stuffing the eggplant and the tomatoes, the vegetables that go into the filling are supposed to be pre-roasted. I did not have time to do this step, so for the tomatoes I used the filling straight, omitting the tomato confit that was called for in the recipe. Otherwise I followed the instructions more or less as written. The quantity made by the recipe is enough to serve 4-6 people.

First, mince 4 small shallots, 1 clove of garlic, and 1/4 lb mushrooms. Saute the shallots for a minute in a little olive oil and butter over medium heat . Add the garlic, and saute for another minute.

Next add the mushrooms, and saute for an additional minute, then add an extra tablespoonful of olive oil. Optionally, add 2 tablespoons of chopped black truffles to the mixture along with a tablespoonful of truffle oil in place of the olive oil. I added the truffles and they were wonderful!

Set the mushroom and shallot mixture aside.

Next chop 3/4 lb chicken breasts and 2/3 lb boneless leg of lamb into 2-inch chunks, and saute in olive oil over medium-high heat. Season with salt, and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Alain Ducasse advises to leave the meat a little undercooked to avoid drying it out, as it will finish cooking inside the vegetables later on.

Add 1/2 lb of chopped boiled ham to the mixture, then finely mince the meats.
Add the minced meats to the mushroom/shallot mixture, along with 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix well.

Next scoop out the flesh of the vegetables you want to use, and leave the shell to be stuffed with the filling. You can reserve the flesh of the tomatoes, as I did, for a later use. (I will probably use them in a sauce.)

Stuff the vegetables, topping them with their reserved "caps" if desired, as I did with the zucchini below.

Drizzle the vegetables with a little olive oil, and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the edges of the vegetables are browned. I put mine under the broiler for a few minutes at the end for extra browning.

Compose a simple salad by drizzling a mesclun mix with lemon and olive oil and sprinkling with a little salt, then mound the salad on a plate and top with the vegetables.

Bon appetit!

Summer Salads! Courtesy of the NY Times

101 Simple Summer Salads

Tart of Young Lettuces and Tomato Confit

Here is a recipe that I made for my sister last week. It is a savory tart that really showcases the deep, pure flavors of the few main ingredients, in the signature style of Alain Ducasse. This recipe comes from his cookbook, Flavors of France. It is basically a composed salad served atop a rich, buttery crust.

To start you will need to slow-bake 4 1/2 pounds large plum tomatoes for the Tomato Confit. To do this, preheat the oven to the lowest setting, then peel and quarter the tomatoes, removing the seeds and membranes, then arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet greased with olive oil. Scatter 8 branches of fresh thyme and 6 medium unpeeled garlic cloves over the tomatoes, then drizzle them with 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 teaspoons course sea salt. Bake 2-3 hours, turning once halfway through the baking process. Prepare the tomatoes several hours or up to 3 days ahead of the following instructions. Preserve all of the cooked ingredients in a jar in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Next, make the pastry. You will need:

1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into bits

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 large egg yolks

1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash

Combine the flour, butter and salt in a food processor or medium bowl. Mix until the dough resembles coarse meal. Add the egg yolks and mix just until the dough comes together. Knead the dough for about 2 minutes between the palms of your hands and form it into a ball. Press into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

When ready, bring the crust to room temperature and roll out into a circle 11 inches across and 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, prick with a fork in several places, and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Then brush the egg wash over the surface of the crust and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Let the crust cool on a wire rack, then transfer very gently to a serving plate, sliding the crust off of the parchment.

For the topping you will need:

1/4 pound mixed arugula, mesclun, and frisee

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Tomato Confit (that you prepared earlier)

1/2 small zucchini, skin sliced off in wide 1/8-inch-thick strips and cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths

5 or 6 fresh basil leaves

2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, sliced with a peeler into shavings

Small fresh thyme sprigs for garnish

Toss the lettuces together with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the sea salt. Top the cooled crust with this salad, then arrange the tomatoes, cut side down and slightly overlapping, in concentric circles from the outer edge in.

In a skillet, cook the zucchini strips in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat for about 1 minute. Arrange the zucchini on top of the tart with the basil and cheese, garnishing with thyme and a few pieces of garlic from the confit if desired. Serve immediately. The tart yields 6 servings as a first course, or as a featured component in a light lunch. We had ours for lunch along with a Spanish-style potato salad.

Asparagus Salad with Parmesan Dressing

I have to share the delicious dinner that Bill and I enjoyed tonight. I found the recipe in this month's bon appetit magazine. Mmmmm...

5 ounces Parmesan cheese, thinly shaved with vegetable peeler
1 1/2 cups water
5 Tbsp minced shallots, divided (from about 2 large)
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 lbs large green asparagus spears, trimmed (may use 1/2 white asparagus if available)
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
12 oz oyster mushrooms, thinly sliced
cracked black peppercorns

Bring cheese and 1 1/2 cups water to simmer in medium saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until milky liquid forms, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Strain into small saucepan; discard solids in strainer. Boil over high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 8 minutes. Transfer to small bowl. Add 2 Tbsp shallots and vinegar. Season dressing with salt and pepper.

Cook all asparagus in large pot of boiling salted water 1 minute. Transfer to large bowl of ice water to cool completely. Drain. DO AHEAD dressing and asparagus can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill dressing. Wrap asparagus in paper towels, the plastic, and chill. Bring dressing to room temp before using.

Preheat oven to 350. Place asparagus on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss; arrange in single layer on sheet. Roast until crisp-tender about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tbsp oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add remaining 3 Tbsp shallots and mushrooms and saute until mushrooms begin to wilt, about 5 min.

Divide asparagus among plates. Spoon mushroom mixture over. Drizzle with Parmesan dressing and sprinkle with cracked black pepper.

I left the mushrooms out since Bill does not like the texture, and substituted pine nuts instead. I also forgot to reduce the dressing. Oops! Good excuse to make this yummy dish again :) We ate this salad with a side of harvest grains cooked simmered with sun-dried tomatoes.

Spicy Lentil Salad

This recipe has countless health benefits including lots of fiber, heart-healthy fat, turmeric (anti-inflammatory/anti-cancer properties), yogurt (the "good" bacteria); and it's delicious!

From The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook...

1 cup brown rice
1 cup brown lentils
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
6 cardamom pods
3 star anise
2 bay leaves
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
8 oz broccoli florets
2 carrots, cut into julienne strips
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen peas, thawed

Mint and Yogurt Dressing
1 cup plain yogurt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 tsp cumin

1. Put 3 cups water with the rice, lentils, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, and bay leaves in a pan. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce, cover, and simmer gently for about 50 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove the whole spices. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Whisk 2 Tbsp of the oil with the lemon juice and fork through the rice mixture.
2. Steam or microwave the broccoli and carrots until tender. Drain and refresh in cold water.
3. Heat the remaining oil in a large pan and add the onion, garlic, and red bell pepper. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, the add the garam masala and coriander, and stir-fry further 1-2 minutes. Add the broccoli, carrots, and peas and toss to coat in the spice mixture. Add to the rice and fork through to combine.
4. To make the dressing, mix the yogurt, lemon juice, mint and cumin seeds together, and season with salt and pepper.

Serves 6. Per serving: 380 calories, 20 grams protein, 15 gms fat, 50 gms carbohydrate, 10 gms dietary fiber.

I forgot to add the peas in mine...but, it was still great.