Friends Food Family

The BEST Cherry Tomato Salsa Recipe - Fresh or Canned

Where do I start? How about - how many tomatoes does it take to make 75 jars of salsa? It starts like a joke but when you have pounds and pounds of cherry tomatoes coming out of your garden every week you need a staple recipe for them.

Jeff and I have been canning quite a bit over the past three years and this year was huge. Every spring as we prep our garden we always say we will plant less so we won't have so much produce. This year, we definitely planted too much. I love my garden, but there comes a point when you become a slave to your garden. Not only did we have cherry tomatoes but we had just about every variety of tomato available.

Every other day, we would go out and pick pounds of cherry and grape tomatoes; yellow, red and orange. After roasting a few pounds, we needed a recipe we could use to wipe out as many as possible without them rotting. Some people might suggest giving them to friends and family, we did. With six children living outside the home, relatives and friends, we still had tomatoes, along with summer squash, zucchini, peppers, beans, beets, carrots, and cucumbers. We probably should have had a vegetable stand outside our house.

I decided to look for a salsa recipe we could can. It's something I knew we would use as well as give to friends and family. With all the canning cookbooks and magazines we have, I finally found this Lazy Cherry Tomato Salsa from Growit Cookit Canit. It was an adapted recipe from Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, which we had. It's funny how each of us change the recipe to adapt to what we had available. The original recipe called for dried chili peppers and hot pepper flakes. I was afraid to make the salsa too spicy and decided to change the type of peppers that were being used and the choice worked perfectly for us. With poblano and jalapeno peppers coming out of the garden as quickly as the tomatoes, the combination was perfect.

During the summer, this salsa became my "go-to" Wednesday canning recipe. It took some prep time to chop the tomatoes, onions, garlic and peppers but I could normally make a double batch and can 12-15 jars of salsa. By the end of the summer I had made about 75 jars of salsa. The nice thing was I began adding different types of tomatoes and even made the recipe with green tomatoes.

I do know this...it's the BEST salsa we have ever tasted. We have given away over 40 jars and people go crazy. From, "I was eating it out of the jar with a spoon" to "I put it in my eggs", when people are finished they return the empty jar looking for more. This salsa is also a great base for guacamole. 

The Best Guacamole 

• 3 avocados, chopped and slightly mashed
• 1/2 cup of "The BEST Cherry Tomato Salsa"
• 1 tablespoon of chopped jalapeno (optional)

1. Place into a medium sized bowl and mix together. If you like a little more heat, add fresh jalapenos. Now you have great salsa and guacamole!

So, lets start with a small batch. If you don't like or know how to can, you can make a fresh batch to enjoy in 1 hour. This salsa comes together very quickly and you can serve it warm or chilled.

An individual batch of Cherry Tomato Salsa

• 4 cups of cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped or split (measure after you've chopped)
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 large Poblano pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced with seeds
• 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup of packed, freshly chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup of cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt

1. In a large sauce pan or dutch oven, mix together all ingredients.
2. Over medium high heat, bring the mixture to a boil.
3. Lower heat to a simmer and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
4. Using a hand blender or food processor, bring mixture to a blend with a few small chunks still visible. (see below)
5. Return the mixture to heat and cook for an additional 10 minutes. 
6. Allow the mixture to cool, place in refrigerator until ready to use.
7. This mixture keeps for about 2 weeks.

 

If you are looking to make a batch to can, here is the original recipe we used this summer. Feel free to add different types of tomatoes. I found the smaller (cherry style) did better than large tomatoes. I have seen some great cherry mixed tomatoes available in supermarkets if you don't have access to fresh tomatoes.

This recipe is for canning and will make about 5-6 pint jars.

The BEST Cherry Tomato Salsa

• 12 cups of cherry tomatoes (red, yellow or green), split or roughly chopped
• 3 cups of chopped onions
• 5 medium size Poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
• 3 jalapenos, sliced with seeds
• 15 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 packed cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3/4 cup of cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup of lime juice
• 1 tablespoon of sea salt
• 6 tablespoons of lemon juice

1. In a large Dutch oven, place all ingredients into the pan, except for the lemon juice.

2. Place the pan on a burner at medium-high and bring mixture to a boil. 

3. Lower heat to a simmer and simmer vegetables for 20-25 minutes.

4. Using a hand blender. Blend the vegetables, in the pan, into a fine mixture with some chunks. Be careful because the mixture is hot.

5. Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes on simmer and remove any foam that has not disappeared.

6. In a large canning pot, fill with water and sterilize 6-7 pint size jars. In a small pan, sterilize lids to jars.

7. Remove jars from pan, place on towel. Add 1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice to each jar. Add salsa to 1/2 inch from top. Wipe rims, place lids and covers on jars.

8. Place back into water and process, after it comes back to a boil, for 15 minutes. Make sure there is water covering the top.

9. Remove from water,  listen for the seal "pop" to make sure your jars have sealed. 

Hide jars if you want to hoard your salsa and that is totally acceptable. Or - you can share your salsa with friends and family.

 Enjoy!

 

Crab Tartlets

Happy New Year! It's nice to be back blogging again. I skipped by a few of the big holidays and felt bad that I didn't get to share the 12 Cookies of Christmas this year. I promise that we will have an exciting and robust list of cookies for the next holiday season.

So, what has been happening at Friends Food Family?

I'll take you back to Thanksgiving. This past year we purchased a Big Green Egg. Jeff has enjoyed trying everything from pizza to paella as well as steaks and grilled veggies from the garden. We decided we would do a smoked turkey for the holiday so a few weeks prior we did a test run and found that the "Big Green Egg" turkey was AMAZING! It was moist and had a wonderful smoked flavor. With the turkey leftovers, we made some turkey and wild rice soup that was a big hit. What I loved the best was the smoked flavor of the turkey and how it carried through to the soup.

The week after Thanksgiving, Jeff and I were fortunate enough to travel to Germany and Austria on vacation and visit the festive Christmas Markets or Christkindlesmarkt. Each area we visited (Vienna, Melk, Linz, Saltzburg, Passau, Regensberg and Nurnburg) had beautiful markets with gluehwein, a hot mulled wine, Viennese and German sausages, gingerbread and beautiful handmade crafts. A foodie's delight!

The following week, I fell and injured my hands and wrists, hence there was no baking (or very little baking) done at our house for Christmas. I couldn't grasp spatulas to stir ingredients in bowls. It was very odd not doing much baking through the holidays. I will say, Jeff and the kids have been so good about helping me out when it came to lifting and stirring. Luckily, nothing broken, just bruised.

Christmas was exciting but very low key. I'm just excited to start cooking again and sharing our stories with all of you!

So, I am starting with these appetizers which we made for our friend's New Year's Eve party. They really are easy to make and everyone loves them. These delicious morsels are called Crab Tartlets. It comes from a book called Tapas by Susanna Tee. 

I was surprised when I went looking for the recipe on the blog and found I had made it numerous times but had never written about it. I love these Crab Tartlets for two reasons. First, with the pie crust base you can use the recipe below or if you don't have time, you can use the ready made crust. I would roll the ready made crust slightly as it tends to be thick. Second, the ingredients are very simple so you can have these made and in the oven in twenty minutes.

The flavor is perfect with a blend of crab and manchego cheese in a "quiche like" filling. These little bites are perfect finger foods for any gathering or party. As I was posting them to Instagram, friends were kidding me thinking I had bought frozen appetizers. They look that good!

The next time you need a quick and delicious appetizer for your guests, try these crab tartlets. Your guests will devour them!

Crab Tartlets from Tapas - 40 Delicious  Traditional Spanish Recipes by Susanna Tee

Ingredients:

Pie Dough

• 2-1/4 cups of flour (plus some for dusting and rolling)
• 3/4 cup of butter - sliced into 6 - 8 pieces
• 2 tablespoons of ice cold water
• a pinch of salt

1. Place flour, salt and butter in a food processor. Pulse off and on until mixture looks like fine bread crumbs.

2. Add the water, one tablespoon at a time. The mixture will form into a ball. If the mixture seems dry, add more water a teaspoon at a time.

3. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out thinly and cut with a 2-3/4 inch round cutter. Place rounds into tartlet pan. 

Note: If using a ready made pie crust, roll out slightly and cut the rounds from above.

Crab Mixture

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of dry white wine
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup of milk or light cream
• 6 ounce can of crab meat, drained
• 1/2 cup of manchego or Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
• a pinch of nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper (more to adjust taste)

1. Heat a small skillet, on medium, add the tablespoon of olive oil. Once hot, add the onion and saute for about 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.

2. Add the tablespoon of wine and cook for another 2 minutes until the wine is evaporated. Take off heat and allow to cool slightly.

3. In a medium sized bowl, add the eggs and light cream. With a whisk, beat until blended. 

4. Add the cooled (or slightly warm) onions and garlic to the egg mixture along with the crab meat, manchego cheese, parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

5. Drop a heaping teaspoon of the crab mixture into each crusted tartlet.

6. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until the crusts are slightly golden and the crab mixture is firm to touch. 

7. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes, remove crab tartlets from pan. 

8. This recipe makes about 24-30 tartlets. They can be served hot or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Cinco de Mayo - Quick and Easy BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

With Cinco de Mayo two days away, I was trying to come up with an easy dish that you could serve as an appetizer if you were going to be having a few people over to celebrate. I love when you can make something in less than 30 minutes and has some bold flavor that can be matched with an icy cold beer or margarita. 

NOTE: A Cilantro Grapefruit Margarita is perfect: 2 cups of white tequila, mix with 1/4 cup of cilantro, let sit an hour and then strain. Mix 1 shot of the tequila with 4 ounces of Izze Sparkling Grapefruit Juice, and squeeze of fresh lime. Shake over ice. Poured into salted margarita. Garnish with lime wedge. Enjoy!

Sorry I drifted, those margaritas are so good! OK, back to the recipe. Let's make this really simple, here are your ingredients:

• 3 cups of cooked, slightly shredded, chicken - we used a cooked store bought roaster chicken
• 1/2 large red onion - sliced in long strips
• a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce - we used Hayward's Pit Bar-B-Que Sauce
• 1 (15 ounce) can of black beans, rinsed
• 1 package (8-10 ct.) flour tortillas
• 1 (16 ounce) package of shredded cheese, Mexican blend
• canola oil
• avocado

1. Over medium heat, place 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a large frying pan, when hot, add the red onions and cook until slightly soft about 6-8 minutes.

2. Add the chicken, black beans and 1 cup of bar-b-que sauce. 

3. Mix together and cook until heated through. If the mixture is dry, add more bar-b-que sauce.

4. In a second large frying pan, add 2 tablespoons of canola oil and begin building the quesadillas. Fill half of the flour tortilla with the chicken mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Fold the other half over the mixture and place into the frying pan, cook on both sides until the flour tortilla is golden and the cheese is melted.

5. Remove from frying pan and repeat with the other tortillas. 

6. Cut quesadillas into quarters and serve with avocado. 

If you want to kick it up a notch, make some Killer Guacamole and Pineapple Peach Mango Salsa. A few tortilla chips and you are ready for a great Cinco de Mayo Party! Have some fun! 

Tricia White

Homemade Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Every year, Jeff and I tell each other we won't (and shouldn't) buy any more cookbooks. We have 200+ cookbooks and as much as we have made recipes from all of them we have a LOT of cookbooks. 

As I was walking past the magazine rack at the supermarket just before Christmas, I noticed a thick booklet called Make-Ahead Appetizers by America's Test Kitchen. I thought this might be good to have because it only has appetizers. I love books that concentrate on one aspect of food. I flipped through it quickly and placed it in the basket. This would be a great recipe book for our next big gathering.

In January, we decided to have some friends over to watch one of the Saturday night football games. We decided to make a bunch of appetizers rather than a dinner so that people could pick during the game. I wanted to make a hummus recipe, and this one seemed really easy. Outside of mixing the tahini and olive oil together in a small bowl, all the ingredients went into the food processor and in less than 10 minutes, this roasted red pepper hummus was ready to go.

Hummus really is easy to make and we use it in a number of different ways. We will spread it on pita chips and crackers, but we will also add it as a spread for sandwiches. Rather than mustard or mayonnaise, I will put it on my sandwich with sliced turkey or roast beef. It's really tasty and light.

I am thinking of using the base to this recipe for other hummus flavors. How about...

• substitute artichoke hearts for the red peppers - Artichoke Hummus
• substitute lemon juice and rind for the red peppers- Lemon Hummus
• substitute sun dried tomatoes for red peppers - Sun Dried Tomato Hummus

I will be making hummus again (soon) with one of these combinations. I promise to blog about it as this has become a family favorite. The roasted red pepper hummus was delicious. It was smooth and had a great red pepper flavor. We made toasted pita chips which were delicious. I just cut a large pita into triangles and toast them in the oven at 350 degrees until they are golden and crispy. If you don't want to make them, pick up you favorite bag of pita chips at the store, either will do.

Try this recipe on your family or next gathering. You will be amazed at the crowd of people who stand around the hummus, grabbing chips, one after another.

Ingredients for the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

(Adapted from Amercia's Test Kitchen)

• 1/2 cup of tahini
• 1/4 cup of olive oil, extra virgin 
• 2 (14 ounce) cans of chick peas
• 1 cup of jarred roasted red peppers
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• a pinch of cayenne pepper
• 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons of sliced almonds, toasted
• 3 large pita pockets, cut into triangles and toasted or 1 bag of pita chips
• extra olive oil for drizzling

Preparation:

 1. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and tahini until blended.

2. In a food processor, place the chick peas, roasted red peppers, garlic, salt and cayenne pepper. Pulse about 15-20 seconds until the mixture is still slightly lumpy. Scrape down the sides if necessary.

3. Add the lemon juice and process for 1 minute.

4. Leaving the processor running, slowly pour in the tahini and oil mixture. Continue to process until smooth and creamy, about 20-30 seconds.

5. Remove the hummus from the processor, place in a bowl and cover. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

6. Before serving, sprinkle with the toasted almonds and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with pita chips, bread or your favorite crackers.

Enjoy!

Written by Tricia White

Sweet and Tangy Local Corn with Roasted Peppers

I can't believe it's September. Our garden is almost empty as we finish the last of the tomatoes, cucumbers and squash. I long for all of my summer fruits and vegetables from raspberries and blackberries to lettuce, zucchini and green beans. In another month, it will be back to rubbery tomatoes and waxy cukes.

One of the only things we don't grow is corn. We leave that up to Flint Farm in Mansfield. Hands down, they have the BEST local corn around and I know we don't have many weeks left to enjoy this amazingly sweet product. Whether eaten off the cob or shucked for a recipe, nothing beats freshly picked corn.

During the summer,we have enjoyed many corn based recipes but none of them has been as good as this Sweet and Tangy Corn with Roasted Red Peppers from August 2013 Food and Wine Magazine. It's a wonderful recipe for a big crowd and with football season starting this is a great tailgate dish. It can be made ahead of time and can be served cold or at room temperature. You don't have to worry about it spoiling.

When you use local or freshly picked corn you get to experience the sweetness of the corn along with the wonderful tanginess of the dressing. I'm not sure how to correctly describe it but I would say - vegetable candy. The corn, leeks, scallions and roasted red peppers are perfectly complemented with the vinegary sugar dressing. As much as it is a side dish or salad, it is also described as a corn relish to complement a fish or chicken dish. I could eat this stuff cold by itself - it is that GOOD. 

If you love local corn the way we do - grab a few ears, 10 to be precise and mix up a dish of Sweet and Tangy Corn with Roasted Red Peppers. It will become the new favorite dish of the Fall sports parties. And if there is any left, hide a dish so you can quietly enjoy the last of the flavors of summer.

Sweet and Tangy Corn with Roasted Red Peppers 

Ingredients:
3 red bell peppers
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of water
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
10 ears of corn, shucked and kernels cut off the cobs (about 10 cups)
3 medium leeks, light green and white parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 cup of thinly sliced scallions, preferably red (about 8 scallions)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:
1. Roast the peppers, one of three ways 1. directly over a gas flame 2. under a preheated broiler or 3. on a grill. Turn peppers until charred all over, about 5-10 minutes. Place the charred peppers in a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow the peppers to cool completely. Peel the black charred skin from the peppers. Seed, stem and cut into 1/3-inch pieces.
2. In a small saucepan, mix the sugar with the water and cook over medium heat without stirring until lightly golden in color. This process takes about 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add the vinegar to the sugar mixture and cook until the caramel color dissolves, about 1 minute. Allow the mixture to cool.
4. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil with one tablespoon of salt. Blanch the corn kernels and sliced leeks until crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain the corn and leeks and cool.
5. In a large bowl, toss the corn, leeks and roasted peppers. Add the scallions and the sugar mixture. Use salt and pepper to taste.
6. Place into a large plate and enjoy this amazing dish.

Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salad

Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salad with Arugula and Cherry Tomatoes

Back when I first started blogging in 2009-10, I came across a recipe for a grilled corn and bean salad. Brian Boitano (yes, the ice skater) was hosting a show on the Food Network called "What would Brian Boitano Make? and was making this amazing grilled corn and black bean salad. Jeff and I served the recipe to some friends at a cookout that summer but for some reason I never had a picture of the dish.

Fast forward to April 2013 and I am going through my old food posts and found the recipe for the grilled corn and bean salad in a draft. The recipe was there but had no storyline or photo. I looked over the recipe and thought that as soon as I could get some fresh corn this dish would be on the menu. As I entered the grocery store on Sunday there was a display with the season's first corn on the cob. The cobs were small but I figured I would give it another test run. Summer and cooking on the grill with lots of fresh vegetables from the garden are right around the corner.

On Wednesday night when I decided to make the dish, it was a little chilly outside and I was being lazy, not wanting to walk out to light the grill. I went on-line and searched "roasting corn on the cob" and found an easier way to create the dish. By roasting the corn in the oven it gave me the opportunity to get everything ready without leaving the kitchen. You can bet that I will be grilling the corn especially when our local produce becomes available in late July, but for tonight, roasting was perfect.

I switched the recipe up a little because...isn't that what we do as foodies? Try and mix it up a bit? So as the corn was roasting I was able to get all of the ingredients ready adding more lime and a bit of lime zest (and a bit less corn). Once the corn was cool enough to handle, I removed the kernels and this dish was ready to go. We served our salad on a bed of arugula with some chopped cherry tomatoes, but that wasn't before I was taste testing the results with lime tortilla chips.

What a perfect dish, the sweetness of the roasted corn with black beans, a little bit of heat and a great lime flavor. The pepper flavor of the arugula was a wonderful complement to the salad, it didn't need a dressing. And as for the chip and dip situation, it was perfect as an appetizer, too!

As we begin to enjoy more items from the garden, fresh salsas, salads and dishes will be on the menu. Start testing some recipes so you'll be ready for backyard cook-outs and  gatherings, and definitely add this Roasted (or grilled) Corn and Black Bean Salad to the list.

Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salad as a salsa served with Tortilla Chips 

Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salad (Adapted from Brian Boitano's Grilled Corn and Bean Salad)

Ingredients:

Corn Marinade:
1/4 cup of canola oil
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
2 teaspoons of chili powder

Salad Dressing:
1/4 cup of canola oil
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 lime, juiced
zest of 1 lime
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Corn and Bean Salad:
4 ears corn, shucked
1 red bell pepper, cored and diced into 1 inch pieces
1 medium red onion, diced into 1 inch pieces
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

Additional lime juice, salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

12 cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
1 - 8 ounce bag or fresh arugula

1 bag of lime tortilla chips (if you want to use this as a salsa)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Marinade: In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup of the canola oil, cumin and chili powder, and season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Stir to combine.
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and brush each ear of corn liberally with the seasoned oil. Cook for about 12 minutes, giving each ear a quarter turn every 3 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. When cool enough to handle cut kernels from corn.
NOTE: You can cook the corn on a grill also. Place corn directly on the grill over medium heat and turn corn according to the directions above.
4. Salad Dressing: whisk together the 1/4 cup of canola oil, 1 teaspoon chili powder, the lime juice and zest, garlic, and cilantro. Put aside.
5. In a large bowl, place corn, beans, onions, and peppers. Mix with the salad dressing and allow the dressing to coat the mix.
6. Adjust taste with salt, pepper and additional lime juice. We found that it needed more lime juice for balance.
7. Serve with tortilla chips or as a salad on a bed of arugula with chopped cherry tomatoes.

New York Strip Steak served with Braised Swiss Chard and Cannellini Beans

Back a few weeks ago, Jeff and I had an amazing dinner at a little place called Caffe Bella in Randolph, MA. It is a cute little Italian restaurant with a warm atmosphere, great bartenders and amazing food. We decided to sit at the bar where Jeff ordered lamb medallions and I ordered the swordfish steak (one of my favorites!). Jeff's lamb was served on a bed of sauteed swiss chard and butter beans in a tomato broth. It was so flavorful, I kept eating from the bottom of his dish.  It was a perfect complement for the lamb. Over the next few nights, Jeff mentioned how much he liked the swiss chard and butter beans and I most certainly agreed.

We are getting ready to go grocery shopping when Jeff came across a recipe in Lidia Matticchio Bastianich's Cookbook - Lidia's Favorite Recipes. It was a side dish recipe for braised swiss chard and cannellini beans. It seemed similar to what we had eaten at Caffe Bella, so we picked up the ingredients to enjoy with a strip steak.

I'm going to explain quickly how we cooked our steak in the stove top to oven fashion. Our steak was about one inch thick. We have a Le Creuset Square Skillet Grill which we use to cook our steak, chicken, pork chops and hamburger. You can also cook your steak on the grill.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat the skillet over medium heat, grease the pan with a thin coat of vegetable oil.

2. Salt and pepper both sides of the steak.

3. When the skillet is hot, cook the steak for 5 minutes on one side (for medium-rare) 6 minutes for (medium). Turn the steak and then place the skillet into the oven for 5 -7 minutes, depending on how you like your steak.

4. Remove from oven and remove the steak from the pan. Cover the steak with aluminum foil for 5-7 minutes to allow it to rest before cutting.

OK, back to the story - This past summer we had the opportunity to grow swiss chard. It tasted so good, freshly cut from the garden and lightly sauteed. Now, whenever we come across recipes using swiss chard, we love to try them and then post the recipe...hoping we will remember to try it  again this summer.

The swiss chard and cannellini bean dish cooked up quickly and had amazing flavor. The dish has a bit of a kick to it with the 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. If you like more heat, adjust the levels for your taste. The swiss chard and the beans, combined with the tomatoes is a hearty combination to serve with any meat dish. 

NOTE: Since we made this dish, we cooked the recipe again, but we this time substituted kale for the swiss chard...it was equally delicious.

Try this side dish the next time you are making grilled steak, pork chops or chicken. It's an easy dish with a wonderful flavor. We can't wait for summer as we will be growing many of these ingredients and look forward to enjoying them fresh from the garden.

Ingredients for Braised Swiss Chard and Cannellini Beans (adapted from Lidia's Italy)

1/2 pound of dried cannellini beans, or 3 cups of canned cannellini, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 pounds (or more) of Swiss chard leaves
6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
4 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
1 cup of canned Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand

Preparation:

1. If using dried beans: Rinse the beans, put in a bowl with cold water and cover by 4 inches. Let soak in cool place for 8 hours or overnight. Drain the beans, and transfer to a large saucepan with fresh cold water to cover by two fingers. Bring to boil, partially covered, and cook the beans about 40 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Turn off heat and stir in ½ teaspoon salt, then let the beans cool to absorb the cooking liquid. Taste, and adjust the salt if needed.

2. If using canned beans, drain and rinse, place in a medium sized bowl and put to side.

3. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in the stockpot. Meanwhile, rinse and drain the Swiss-chard leaves. Cut off the stems at the base of the leafy part. Slice the leaves crosswise every 2 inches, into long strips.

4. When the water is boiling, drop in the swiss chard at once, stir, and cover the pot. Bring the water back to the boil, and cook the swiss chard for 15 minutes, until thoroughly tender—check a piece with a thick middle vein to be sure. Drain in a colander.

5. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil and the sliced garlic in the skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the garlic is sizzling, about 2 minutes. Drop the tomato paste into a clear spot in the pan, stir, and toast it for a minute. Toast the red pepper flakes in a clear spot too, then pour in the crushed tomatoes. Stir together.

6. Bring the tomato mixture to a boil, and pour in the beans. Stir, season with salt, and heat the beans, stirring constantly. When they’re simmering, stir in the swiss chard and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook rapidly to reduce the liquid, tossing the beans and greens over and over. This will take a few minutes. As the juices thicken, drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil all over, toss the vegetables, and simmer for another 2 or 3 minutes, until most of the liquid is gone.

Serve immediately, or set aside covered, and reheat later.

Written by Tricia White

Fig and Blue Cheese Savories

Back a few weeks ago, we held our annual Christmas gathering. I love this time of year because we get to see friends that have a history with us from high school, college and our children's activities (from the past as our children range in age from 18-27). It's an evening of great friends, good food and amazing conversation...and a little bit of wine. As much as Jeff and I love to make many of the servings, all of our friends come with appetizers and desserts to fill in the meal. 

This year, Patty and Mark Steinhoff brought the BEST appetizer. When Patty came in and handed me the plate, I thought it was thumbprint cookies so I put them in the dining room with the rest of the desserts. Patty said, "Oh, those aren't dessert, those are appetizers." She then proceeded to tell us about how easy they were and the 4 ingredients needed...flour, butter, blue cheese and fig preserves. These little savories were amazing, they melted in your mouth with a buttery cheese flavor and a little bit of sweet. It reminded me of a grown up cheese cracker but more addicting. They were small which meant you could pop them in your mouth and just enjoy the savory experience.

Well, last night I decided to make them for a family holiday gathering. I put the butter, flour and cheese in a food processor, as it formed a ball I took it out and placed it on the pastry board. It looked a little grayish and I thought...this doesn't look right? I went to the computer to look up the recipe. There it was Blue Cheese and Fig Savories by The Runaway Spoon. Patty was right and I was doing everything according to the directions. So, I rolled out the dough, cut the savories and placed the fig preserves on top. Into the oven for about 10 minutes and there they were...Fig and Blue Cheese Savories.

I couldn't wait to get them to the party. I love to see how people like the recipes we make because that is the make or break to whether they will become a blog article. Everyone loved them! I'm always amazed how much the kids liked them as well as the adults. When I was young, there is no way you could have gotten me to taste something with blue cheese and fig. Too radical! (Oh, I just dated myself!)

If you are heading out tomorrow night for New Year's Eve, be the hit of the party and make a platter of Fig and Blue Cheese Savories. They are quick, easy and DELICIOUS!

Happy New Year and enjoy the blessings in 2013.

Ingredients for Fig and Blue Cheese Savories

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into tablespoons
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
Ground black pepper

Fig preserves (about 1/4 cup)

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place the flour, butter, and blue cheese along with few grinds of black pepper into a food processor.
3. Process the dough until it comes together and starts to form a ball.
4. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to pull the dough together.
5. Roll out to 1/8 inch thick with a floured rolling pin.
6. Cut rounds out of the dough with a floured 1-inch cutter (we used a 3/4 inch cutter)
and transfer the rounds to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
7. Using the back of a round half-teaspoon, make an indention on top of each dough round.
8. Spoon about 1/8 teaspoon of fig preserves onto each dough round.
9. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the preserves are bubbling and the pastry is light golden on the bottom.

Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool.
Makes about 4 dozen with the 1 inch cutter and 6 dozen with the 3/4 inch cutter.

These can be stored for two days in an airtight container, place wax paper between layers.

Written by Tricia White

Lebanese Moussaka with Chick Peas

Yesterday, we spent the day in the house waiting for Hurricane Sandy to hit. After losing electricity for about an hour, I began trying to do as much as possible before we could possibly lose power again.

I went into the basement to check the water situation and opened the refrigerator door to our spare "frig". There were two eggplants which were heading towards rotten on the top shelve. Oh, yeah, I thought, I was supposed to make a moussaka with those. It completely slipped my mind. I grabbed them and brought them upstairs to see if they were salvageable.

A quick slice down the center of the eggplants and they looked fine. I set the oven to 400 degrees and grabbed a small baking sheet. I am going to roast the eggplant and find a moussaka recipe. Not just any moussaka recipe, a lebanese moussaka recipe with chickpeas. I wanted to create something like the dish we had at The Pita Spot in Mystic (see our last story on The Pita Spot). I put a sheet of parchment paper on the baking sheet and placed the eggplant halves flesh down. I brushed the skins with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and then scored the skin of the eggplant. I put them in the oven for about 20-25 minutes and took them out when the eggplant flesh was soft and then let them cool for about 30 minutes.

I googled moussaka with chickpeas and found this recipe called Aubergine and Chick Pea Stew with Pomegranate. It had what I was looking for...roasted eggplant, tomatoes and chick peas, along with pomegranate molasses, which I actually have!

As I was making this recipe, I didn't follow the instructions correctly and ended up putting in a few things of my own, such as onions and oregano. Since the roasted eggplant was ready and the rest was in cans, ready to go, this dish came together in about 15 minutes. 

This was really delicious. Scooping the moussaka with the pita chips was heavenly. There was a nice roasted eggplant flavor balanced with the acidity of the tomatoes and lemon juice. Jeff and I proceeded to eat through two dishes with the closing words being, "I hope you saved this recipe because we need to use this as an appetizer for our next gathering." 

Yes, it was that GOOD.

Lebanese Moussaka with Chick Peas Recipe

Ingredients:

2 medium sized eggplants, roasted (scoop the flesh from the skins and loosely chop)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1/2 cup of yellow onion, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

1 large clove of garlic, minced

1- 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes, I use Fire Grilled.

1- 15 ounce can of chick peas, rinsed

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

1-1/2 teaspoons of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of salt 

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1 teaspoon of dried basil

A pinch of oregano

1 tablespoon of lemon

1 tablespoon of pomegranate molasses (optional)

1/4 cup of freshly chopped parsley

1 bag of your favorite Pita Chips

 

Preparation:

1. Over medium heat, add olive oil to a large saute pan. Once the oil is heated, add the onions and garlic, stir occasionally until the onions are translucent and soft, about 5-7 minutes. 

2. Add the remaining ingredients, except the parsley and cook until the mixture starts to boil.

3. Remove from heat, add the parsley and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm with pita chips.

Pineapple Peach Mango Salsa

Summer is here (in New England) and we love all the fresh fruit that is available around this time of year. There are so many more choices for salads, desserts and salsas. A few years ago we came upon some fruit salsa recipes, but once you get the basic recipe down, it's easy to create your own.

I knew we were grilling scallops for dinner and I wanted something refreshing to go with it. I arrived at the grocery store to pick up a few last minute items and peaches were on sale. They were next to the kiwi and before I knew it, I had a pineapple, mango, peaches and kiwi in my cart. A red bell pepper, purple onion and a bunch of cilantro and I was ready to go.

When creating a fruit salsa, it's a combination of fruits and vegetables. There is normally a pepper and onion added to balance the sweetness and acidity of the fruit. I use a red bell pepper, since it is sweeter (plus, I like the color) and a red onion because I like the raw flavor over the white and yellow onions. I also try to put a citrus fruit in the recipe to help preserve the salsa.

Here is my Pineapple Peach Mango Salsa

1 pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

1 mango, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

3 kiwi, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

2 peaches, pitted and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

1 red bell pepper, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

1/4 of a large red onion, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

1/4 cup of olive oil

Rind from 1/2 of lime

The juice of 2 limes

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

A pinch of salt...to taste

Mix all ingredients together and let them chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This helps the flavors to meld together.

Here are a few things you can use the Pineapple Peach Mango Salsa with:

1. Tortilla Chips - Better than regular salsa, especially when it is warm outside, this is very refreshing. It complemented our Zen Sangria. My sister, Karen, joined us and with every chip she dipped she would say, "This is amazing!"

2. Jasmine Rice - We make the rice plain and then add a few heaping tablespoons at the end to give the rice some subtle fruit flavor.

3. Side Dish - Use with seafood and chicken dishes. The night we made this salsa, we grilled scallops.

4. Quinoa - Cook the quinoa according to directions and then add to the dish, similar to the rice.

It's fun to be creative with fruit salsas...what is your favorite? And how do you like to serve it?

We would love to hear from you!

Roasted Red Pepper and Portobello Mushroom Spread

I have a really quick and easy recipe to share with you so you will become the Burger "King" or Burger "Queen" of the next big cookout.

Back a few years ago, I had tasted an amazing spread which was served at a function I had attended. It was a mushroom and red pepper spread which was served on toasted french bread. I was wonderfully flavorful with the meatiness of the mushrooms and the sweetness of the roasted red peppers.

One evening, I chopped some roasted red peppers along with some baby portobello mushrooms and created this delicious spread. As time has gone on, I have come to perfect this amazing spread that is not only excellent on french bread but incredible on hamburgers. 

Last Thursday night we were cooking hamburgers for dinner. I stopped at the grocery store, grabbed some provolone cheese and walked past the international food section and spotted some jars of roasted red peppers. Ahhh...back to the produce section, I grabbed a container of baby portobello mushrooms and off to the cash registers to check out. 

This recipe is so easy and delicious, you will actually substitute it for your favorite hamburger (or hot dog) condiment.

Roasted Red Pepper and Portobello Mushroom Spread

Ingredients:

1 6-8 ounce jar of roasted red peppers, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

1 6 ounce container of baby bella portobello mushrooms, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. In a medium frying pan, over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once hot, add the garlic.

2. Allow the garlic to cook for 30 seconds until you have a nice garlic aroma, then add the mushrooms.

3. Saute the mushroom until they are slightly golden and they have sweat off most of their juices, about 5-7 minutes. Add a pinch of salt.

4. Add the red peppers and continue to cook for another 5 minutes until it is well incorporated and hot.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This can be served on hot dogs or hamburgers, but you can also use it as an appetizer spread.

The following Saturday night, we had friends to the house for dinner. As an appetizer, I sliced a french baguette, toasted the slices and served the roasted red pepper and portobello mushroom spread with lemon hummus. Spread the lemon hummus on the bread and then top with the spread. It was so good. You can either re-heat as an appetizer or just serve it cold. We served ours cold, but then again, it was a hot night, so perfect for the occasion. If I was serving this at a winter function, I would probably warm it up.

Sicilian Eggplant Spread with Crostini

I have always enjoyed Building 19. It is one of those stores you could get lost in. The "stuff" is great, but you have to search through racks to find that "diamond in the rough". My favorite is the book section, it always has some great "slightly dated" cookbooks. I was searching through the lot when I came upon The Farm to Table Cookbook - The Art of Eating Locally. As I flipped through the pages, many of the ingredients used in the recipes are fruits and vegetables we are growing in our garden. This would be a perfect cookbook to use as we start picking the fruits of our garden.

On Memorial Day weekend, we had some friends for dinner and I decided to try a few of the recipes from the cookbook. I wanted to make an appetizer and thought the Sicilian Eggplant Spread with Crostini would be perfect. It reminded me of a caponata with an edge...sweetness in the raisins, pine nuts, cinnamon and cocoa, yet an acidic balance with the balsamic vinegar.

As our guest arrived and we were getting ready to serve the appetizers, people kept asking if it was pork. I think the chunks, along with the deep brown coloring gave the impression of a barbecue sauce on meat. As we passed around the eggplant spread, people were commenting on the wonderful flavor. Just like it said, an appetizer that had amazing depth of flavor, made with home grown ingredients and didn't have a distinct eggplant flavor. I know eggplant sometimes falls into two categories - 1. "I love eggplant." or 2. "I'm not an eggplant fan." You've got to provide something that leaves them asking for more.

Whether you like eggplant or not, this is a wonderful appetizer that will highlight the produce in your garden or that of the local grower. Grab a crostini and load it with this amazing spread. You'll have a new found love for eggplant.

Sicilian Eggplant Spread with Crostini

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 additional tablespoon
1 cup of chopped onion
3 tablespoons of pine nuts
3 tablespoons of raisins
1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 pound of eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes - about 4-1/2 cups
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup of tomato sauce
3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 loaf rustic French bread, sliced 1/4 inch thick, cut on the diagonal

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add 1/2 cup of olive oil.
3. Add the onion, pine nuts, currants, and oregano. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 8 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat to medium; add the garlic, eggplant, sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa.
5. Cook, stirring frequently, until the eggplant begins to brown and becomes soft around the edges, about 15 minutes.
6. Add the tomato sauce and vinegar, cover, and simmer until the eggplant is very tender, about 30 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper and set aside for at least 1 hour to meld flavors.

Meanwhile, place the bread slices in a single layer on 2 baking sheets.
Bake just until the bread is crisp and golden brown around the edges, about 15 minutes.
Serve with warm Sicilian Eggplant Spread.

 

White Barn Inn Basil Pesto

 

Back two weeks ago, we traveled up to Kennebunkport, Maine to spend the weekend celebrating a close friend's 50th birthday. We stayed at the cutest place called The Cottages at Cabot Cove. Perfect sized cottages for two people. As part of our weekend stay, we made reservations at the White Barn Inn restaurant to enjoy an incredible dining experience. The White Barn Inn offers the only combined AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five Star dining experience north of New York City. Being a foodie, this is like heaven. The meal was amazing, all the way to my flour less chocolate cake sitting between layers of praline...death by chocolate.

As we left, our friends purchased a signed copy of The White Barn Inn Cookbook. Ah, the memories of an incredible dinner, brought to life in a cookbook. I couldn't stop reading through the recipes.

We are starting slow with this cookbook (it's a 5 star) and since the basil in our yard is overflowing, pesto was the first on the list. I liked this pesto recipe because it was very easy and used three different types of nuts. The flavor to this dish is amazing...nutty and fresh.

Not only did we serve it as an appetizer with crackers, we put it on crusty bread with dinner and we finished the last of it with a chicken ravioli pesto recipe. Delicious alone and versatile with other ingredients, think pizza, pasta or a  sandwich spread, the list goes on. The White Barn Inn suggests mixing it with Idaho potatoes to make a pesto potato puree.

This is a great staple for any occasion. Make a batch and unleash your taste buds to endless opportunities.

Ingredients:

a bunch of basil leaves (about 2 cups packed)

a 1/2 bunch of flat leaf parsley (about 1 cup packed)

1 clove of garlic, sliced

3/4 cup of parmesan cheese, grated

1 cup of olive oil

1/4 cup of pistachio nuts

1/4 cup of pine nuts

1/4 cup of walnuts

salt and pepper to taste

crusty bread (sliced thin) or stone ground crackers

Preparation:

Place the basil, parsley, garlic, cheese and olive oil in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the nuts and chop a few more seconds being careful not to over-process the mixture. The nuts should be chopped to a medium texture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use. We serve ours with crusty bread.

The pesto will keep best in a non-reactive glass or stainless steel container. Place a layer of olive oil on the top to keep the mixture fresh and green.

Maine Summers Chunky Chickpea Salsa

 

On Wednesday night, we were invited to a friend's birthday party. Our job was to bring an appetizer. Luckily, we purchased another cookbook. (This is almost becoming funny...we are running out of cookbook space.)

The Maine Summers Cookbook is a collection of recipes from a mother and daughter duo, named Linda and Martha Greenlaw, from the tiny Isle au Haut located off the coast of Maine. It has a really nice selection of recipes that use local fare from Maine as well as New England and then they add a slight spin. The cookbook was reviewed as "Haute cuisine from Isle au Haut". 

We love chickpeas so we gravitated to this recipe. It was easy to put together and we made it a day in advance. My daughter, Danielle, tested the chunky chickpea salsa first as she thought it was for our family. She has taken it for lunch with a sandwich and thought it was amazing. "You need to make this again!"

We brought it to the party and it was funny when we found out the birthday boy loves chickpeas. Scooping it up on a pita chip or tortilla chip added to the taste and texture of crunchy and fresh. Chickpeas, onions, peppers, and fresh cilantro...DELICIOUS. People were eating the salsa as a side dish as well as dip. All and all, it was new recipe success!

After making this salsa it has given me an idea for our next attempt at chickpea salsa. I think I will be adding a few more ingredients, maybe black beans, tomatoes and some jalapenos. But as chunky chickpea salsa, it is definitely a crowd pleaser.

And not to forget, Happy 50th Birthday Brian!

Ingredients:

1 - 15 ounce can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed drained and coarsely chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon of grated lemon zest (not in the recipe but we added it)
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup of red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup of red onion, diced
1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

pita chips or tortilla chips

Preparation:

Mix together the chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice,lemon zest, olive oil green bell pepper, red bell pepper, red onion and cilantro in a medium bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until time to serve. Serve with a crunchy pita or tortilla chip. Serves 8.

 

Seared Scallops with Pineapple-Pepper Salsa

A few weeks ago, we entertained family for the weekend as Jeff's niece's wedding shower was being held at our house. When we entertain, we love to have a few appetizers or small plate snacks before serving dinner.

In April, I gave Jeff the Stonewall Kitchen Appetizers Cookbook for his birthday. Not that we needed another cookbook BUT this have a nice variety of different appetizers from hot to cold to chicken, pasta and seafood. They also have great uses for fresh herbs and vegetables that are found in your garden. This recipe seemed perfect on a warm summer night, Seared Scallops with refreshing Pineapple-Pepper Salsa.

The recipe called for a green pepper but I love red peppers because they are a bit sweeter and they complement the pineapple in taste and color. We made the salsa a few hours in advance and refrigerated them until the scallops were cooked. The combination was amazing. There is something wonderful when you add fruit to seafood, especially when there is that hot and cold combination; hot juicy scallops with cold refreshing pineapple.

Our guests were delighted. With a few extra scallops and salsa left after the first serving, people moved quickly to get a few spare seconds. Everyone enjoyed the quick bite before we served dinner.

We are fortunate because we love to entertain and our guests are always excited at see what we will serve. Not because it is incredible but more that it is different. Finding a new recipe, allows you to become a bit more creative as well as let your guests taste something deliciously different. 

The Pineapple-Pepper Salsa

Ingredients:

2 cups of chopped fresh pineapple
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
3 scallions, finely chopped (white and green parts)
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large lime, juiced
1-1/2 tablespoons of  chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 to 1 small red chile pepper or japaleno pepper, chopped, with or without seeds
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:

In a medium bowl, mix together, pineapple, bell pepper, scallions, oil, lime, cilantro and chile. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper. The salsa can be made 1 to 2 hours ahead of time; cover and refrigerate.

The Scallops

1 pound of sea scallops (dry scallops)
1 cup of all-purpose flour
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil

Preparation:

Pat the scallops dry. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour salt and pepper to taste. Lightly dredge the scallops in the seasoned flour; be sure to brush off any excess flour.

In a large skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium high heat. When the oil is hot (add a touch of flour and make sure it sizzles), add half the scallops in one layer, being sure not to crowd the skillet. Cook 1-1/2 to 2 minutes per side, depending on the size of the scallop, or until golden brown and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining scallops.

Place about 2-3 tablespoons of salsa in the middle of a small plate. Top with two to three scallops. Garnish with a lime wedge and cilantro sprig.

 

White Bean, Shrimp and Tomato Salad

 

As I had mentioned a few blogs back, we are going to be highlighting some great cold salads which can be used as an appetizer or side dish for your next function or event. As the weather gets warmer, we look for dishes that are easy and use as many fresh ingredients, from the garden, as possible.

This salad is a family and party favorite. We use it most times as an appetizer and whatever remains is usually used in a salad for lunch or a light snack the next day, but only if it is doubled. The recipe is part of our "recipe box" series, those recipes we started cutting out and saving 6-8 years ago. This box holds many of our favorite dishes.

We love this recipe for a number of reasons (but here are two):

1. Everybody raves about the dish, it's basic but very different tasting. If you think about it, have you ever had anything like this at a party?

2. It's easy and delicious...beans, shrimp, fresh tomatoes and fresh basil...on toasted french bread...to die for!

A few more weekends before the 4th of July cookouts begin. Try this recipe on your family and friends, we can guarantee that you will be making it for your next gathering. Be the hit with this appetizer, the white bean, shrimp and tomato salad.

Ingredients:

2 (14.5 ounce) cans of small white beans or cannellini beans, we use a can of each

2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 fresh sage leaf, finely chopped

1 pound of fresh small (or medium) shrimp, peeled

2 medium ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded and finely chopped

8 large basil leaves, cut into fine strips

1/3 cup of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Stone ground crackers, pita chips or french baguette slices, lightly toasted  

Preparation:

Rinse the two cans of beans in a colander and place into a bowl with the chopped tomatoes, and garlic.  

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook for one minute or just until the shrimp turns bright pink. Add the shrimp to the bean mixture with the sage, basil and olive oil.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve slightly warm or cold with crackers, pita chips or toasted slices of french bread.

NOTE: If the mixture seems a little bland, add a little more olive oil.  

Boston Globe's Easter Traditions - Italian Taralli

 

I think I survived the holidays? Did you?

I do know that I did quite a bit of baking for Easter and have some interesting recipes to share. The problem is timing. I always wish I had more hours to be able to cook and blog, but sometimes life gets in the way. Or cooking dinner for 26 gets in the way.

I love to make one or two new recipes for the holidays. Last Wednesday, the Boston Globe featured a great story on Italian Easter Traditions. On the cover of the G magazine was a picture of Tarallis. Taralli is a dense bread which is similar to a pretzel or a bread stick. It is boiled and then baked and can be given a sweet or savory finish depending on the ingredients in the recipe. Sweet taralli is made with the basic dough mix and then frosted with a lemon icing. Savory taralli have onion, garlic, poppy seeds or fennel added to the basic or used as a topping before baking.

Before you decide to make taralli, check out the ingredients. (Ok, I'll give you a minute...) Yes, one of the ingredients is Brioschi. Why Brioschi? It has sodium bicarbonate in it. They use it similar to baking soda. It definitely gives the dough a rise when the taralli  is baked. You can find Brioschi at CVS.

So now, mixed reviews. We served them for breakfast and snack on and before Easter. Some family members thought they were delicious, something wonderful to dip in tea or coffee (some people dip them in wine...that works!). Others thought they were OK...a little chewy, a little dry. They are definite something that could be made again and experimented with. I'd like to try the savory type and serve them with a pasta dish or possibly as an appetizer with a dip.

It's a different type of Easter tradition that is worth trying. Grab a cup of coffee, tea or glass of wine...taralli will complement any one. You will definitely find these at my house next year!

Ingredients:

12  eggs
1/4  cup olive oil
2  teaspoons salt
2  tablespoons sugar
1  teaspoon Brioschi
About 7 cups flour, sifted
1  teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

In an electric mixer, beat the eggs and oil until smooth. Beat in the salt, sugar, and Brioschi. Continue to beat at medium speed for about 5 minutes. Gradually add 4 cups of the flour, continuing to beat the mixture. Add the vanilla and beat well. The dough will be sticky.

Spread the remaining 3 cups of flour on a work surface, making a circle of flour about 15 inches in diameter. Make a wide, shallow well in the middle and turn the wet dough out into it. With a large spoon, draw the flour into the dough, going around the perimeter of the flour circle and kneading in the flour with your hands as you do. When all the flour is incorporated, you will have a stiff, firm dough.

With your hands, knead the dough vigorously and thoroughly for at least 10 minutes (the longer the better); eventually, the dough will become elastic and smooth. When sliced, it will have visible air bubbles inside. Set the oven at 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Slice the dough into 12 pieces. With your hands, roll each into a thick snake about 9 inches long. Join each snake’s ends (overlap them slightly) to form a ring, pinching the ends to make a tight seal. Place 4 rings in the boiling water; they will sink to the bottom. When they rise to the surface, add 4 more dough rings to the pot. Remove the first batch of rings from the boiling water 2 to 3 minutes after they’ve surfaced, and wrap them in a dish towel to keep them warm. Repeat this process until all the dough rings are boiled. While the rings are warm, score the outside of each ring (as if you were going to slice it like a bagel, but without slicing it through) around the entire periphery.

Place the rings in the oven directly on the oven racks. Bake the taralli for 35 to 40 minutes, until they are a deep golden brown and very dry and crisp.

For icing:
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons of water
1 pound of confectioner's sugar

Mix lemon juice and water together. Add liquid mixture to the confectioner's sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time until it is of a loose frosting consistency. Spread on cooled taralli and sprinkle with colored jimmies or colored sugar.

Spinach and Bacon Quiche from "around my french table"

 

 

Jeff and I are still having fun making recipes with Dorie Greenspan Cookbook, "around my french table". French cooking is really interesting as I always thought it was a very rich cuisine.

About a week ago, we decided to have a light dinner of orange-scented lentil soup with the spinach and bacon quiche. We both love lentil soup and the intriguing ingredients of orange peel, fresh ginger, coriander and cloves, made it hard not to want to try. (I'll be highlighting that recipe in the future.) We chose the spinach and bacon quiche to complement the soup because it didn't look like the traditional 3-4 inch thick quiche. It was more like a tart and there were only 2 eggs and 2/3 a cup of heavy cream for the custard base.

The quiche calls for a homemade crust (not something I am great at) and I will give you a few helpful tips. Make sure you knead the crust until it is smooth before you form it into a disk. We didn't knead ours enough and the crust became cracked around the edges. As we rolled it out, the cracks would spread. The more we rolled it, the cracks became tears. In the end, we patched the crust together, but it was a bit frustrating.

The filling was quick to put together and within a half hour we were seated and enjoying lentil soup and wedges of spinach and bacon quiche. As much as the crust was a challenge it was light and buttery. The quiche was much better than a traditional quiche. It was light and the custard didn't overpower the spinach and bacon. You tasted each ingredient.

Don't think that this is only a meal for dinner, you could eat this for breakfast or lunch. Buttery crust, spinach and bacon, a few eggs and it's not overly-filling. As I mentioned with the Chicken Pot Pie recipe, if you are not one to tackle a pie crust, use a a ready-made crust. It will at least give you a chance to try this deliciously, light recipe. 

Ingredients:

1- 9 to 9 1/2 inch tart shell, made from tart dough (see recipe below) partially baked and cooled
10 ounces of ready-to-use baby spinach (or about 1 1/4 pounds regular spinach, trimmed and washed)
4 strips of bacon
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
salt and pepper for taste
2 large eggs
2/3 cup of heavy cream
1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan

Preparation:

Center a rack in the oven and pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put the tart shell on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper after partially cooking the crust (see directions below).

To cook the spinach, fit a steamer basket into a large pot. Pour in enough water to come almost up to the steamer. Cover and bring to a boil. Add the spinach, cover, and steam just until soft and thoroughly wilted, about 4 minutes. remove the spinach, drain and run under to cool it and set the color (it will be deep green). 

When the spinach is cool enough not to burn your hands, squeeze it between your palms and get out as much moisture as you can; do this in batches, so you can squeeze harder. Put the clumps on a cutting board and coarsely chop or thinly slice the spinach.

Put the bacon in a skillet, place the skillet over medium heat and cook, turning occasionally, until the bacon is crisp on both sides. Transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain, and pat it dry (set the pan aside). Cut the bacon crosswise into thin strips.

Drain off all but one tablespoon of fat from the skillet, return the skillet to medium heat, and toss in the onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook until soft but not at all colored, about 5 minutes; remove from the heat.

Add the bacon and spinach bits to the pan, toss to blend and add a little more salt and a few generous grindings of pepper.

Turn the spinach bacon mixture into the crust, spreading it as evenly as possible. Whisk the eggs and cream together until well blended and pour into the tart shell, giving the custard a minute to seep around the spinach and settle in. Sprinkle the top of the quiche with the Parmesan cheese.

Carefully slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the filling is uniformly puffed (wait for the center to puff), browned and set. Transfer the quiche to a cooling rack, remove the sides of the pan and allow it to cool and gather itself for at least 5 minutes or so before serving.

Crust
1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
6 tablespoons of very cold unsalted butter, cut into bits (3/4 stick)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of ice water

FOOD PROCESSOR METHOD: Put the flour, sugar, and salt in the processor and whir a few times, until the butter is coarsely mixed into the flour. Beat the egg with the ice water and pour it into the bowl in 3 small additions, whirring after each one (Don't overdo it - the dough shouldn't form a ball or ride on the blade) You'll have a moist, malleable dough that will hold together when pinched. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it into a ball (if the dough doesn't come together easily, push it, a few spoonfuls at a time, under the heel of your hand or knead it lightly), and flatten it into a disk.

HAND METHOD: Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Drop in the bits of butter and, using your hands or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour until it is evenly distributed. You'll have large and small butter bits, and that's fine - uniformity isn't a virtue here. Beat the egg and water together, drizzle over the dough, and, using your fingertips, mix and knead the dough until it comes together. Turn it out onto a work surface, gather it into a ball (if the dough doesn't come together easily, push it, a few spoonfuls at a time, under the heel of your hand or knead it some more), and flatten it into a disk.

Chill at least 3 hours or up to 5 days. When you're ready to bake the tart shell, butter a 9 - 91/2inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom (butter it even if it's nonstick).

To roll out the dough: Roll out the dough between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap or in a lightly floured rolling cover; or you can roll it out on a lightly floured work surface. If you're working between sheets of paper or plastic wrap, lift it often so that it doesn't roll into the dough, and turn the dough over frequently. If you're just rolling on the counter, make sure to lift and turn the dough and reflour the counter often. The rolled-out dough should be about 1/4 inch thick and at least 12 inches in diameter.

Transfer the dough to the tart pan, easing it into the pan without stretching it. (What you stretch now will shrink in the oven later.) If you'd like to reinforce the sides of the crust, you can fold some of the excess dough over, so that you have a double thickness around the sides. Using the back of a table knife, trim the dough even with the top of the pan. Prick the base of the crust in several places with a fork.

Chill - freeze - the dough for at least 1 hour before baking.
 
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F Press a piece of buttered foil (or use nonstick foil) against the crust's surface. If you'd like, you can fill the covered crust with rice or dried beans (which will be inedible after this but can be used for baking for months to come) to keep the dough flat, but this isn't really necessary if the crust is well chilled. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and put the tart pan on the sheet.

TO PARTIALLY BAKE THE CRUST: Bake for 20 minutes, then very carefully remove the foil (with the rice or beans). Return the crust to the oven and bake for another 3 - 5 minutes, or until it is lightly golden. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and allow the crust to cool before you fill it.

TO FULLY BAKE THE CRUST: Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until it is an even golden brown. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and allow the crust to cool before you fill it.

 

Dorie Greenspan's Scallops with Caramel-Orange Sauce

 

I have a confession to make...we own 100 cookbooks. At least in the quick count of one of our cabinets. Our newest addition arrived last week "around my french table" by Dorie Greenspan. Jeff loves to read some of the reviews on Amazon and said this one was phenominal. He especially liked it because it had some really great French recipes, not a style of cooking we normally use. We spent most of last week thumbing through the cookbook, marking off our favorite recipes. Both of us decided that since we hadn't had scallops in quite a while the Scallops with Caramel-Orange Sauce would be our first recipe.

The recipe was simple with a few ingredients and the process to get everything prepared took about 20 minutes. You could serve this dish as a meal as well as an appetizer. We enjoyed the scallops with couscous and broccoli. And I'll have to admit, after eating the scallops, I was running my broccoli and couscous through the remainder of the sauce.

The sauce was sweet but not overpowering, just delicious...incredible...amazing. I love this style of sauce with seafood. It never takes away from the wonderful taste of the scallops.

The best description of this recipe : quick, easy, sweet and delicious. This is a keeper!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of white sugar
1/2 cup of dry white wine
Juice of 1 large orange - generous 1/3 cup (we used a blood red orange)
1 pound of sea scallops (we used dry scallops)
1/2 to 1 tablespoon of olive oil
Salt and freshly ground white pepper, for taste
1 tablespoon cold butter, cut into 3 pieces

Candied Orange Zest (recipe below)

Preparation:

Sprinkle the sugar into a small sauce pan. Place the pan over medium-high heat and warm the sugar until it starts to melt and color. As soon as you see it turn brown, begin to gently swirl the pan. When the sugar has turned a deep caramel color (you can put  a drop of sugar on a white plate to test the color), about 3 minutes, stand back and add the white wine and orange juice. It may bubble and spatter, so watch out. Turn the heat up to high, stir with a wooden spoon, and boil the sauce until it is reduced by half — you should have about 1/3 cup. Pull the pan from the heat and set it aside. (You can make the sauce up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator.)

Pat the scallops dry between two paper towels. Slice or pull off the little muscle attached to the sides of the scallops. Have a warm serving platter and a small strainer at the ready.

Put the sauce pan with the caramel sauce over very low heat so that it can warm while you cook the scallops.

Put a heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot, pour in 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Add the scallops, season them with salt and pepper, add a little more oil if needed, and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until the scallops are firm on the outside and just barely opaque in the center — nick one to test. Transfer the scallops to the serving platter.

Check that the caramel sauce is hot — give it more heat if necessary. Pull the pan from the heat and toss in the butter, bit by bit, swirling the pan until the butter is melted and the sauce is glistening. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, then pour through the strainer into a sauce boat or pitcher. Drizzle some of the sauce over the scallops and pass the rest at the table.

Before you squeeze the juice from the orange, cut off the zest using a zester, a vegetable peel or a knife, avoiding the cottony, white pith. Bring a small sauce pan of water to a boil, toss in the zest and boil for one minute, then drain in a strainer and rinse under cold water. Put 3/4 cup of water and 1/2 cup of white sugar in the pan and cook, stirring until dissolved and the syrup is boiling. Add the zest, reduce the heat to as low as possible and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the zest is soft. At serving time, remove the zest with chopsticks or a slotted spoon and strew it over the caramel-sauced scallops.

Epicurious' Fontina Risotto Cakes with Fresh Chives

 
(plain)

 

(with a tomato dipping sauce)

Before the devastating New England Patriots loss, Jeff and I were heading to the Jaegar's house to watch "the big game". I never like to go anywhere empty handed so I found this recipe on the Epicurious website. I was looking for an appetizer and this seemed pretty good - Fontina Risotto Cakes with Fresh Chives - especially since risotto is a favorite of ours and very easy to make.

This is where the story goes a little...blank. I was at a baby shower and didn't have time to put this together so Jeff was in charge. I came back to finish the tomato dipping sauce. I can't really tell you how easy or hard it was to put together but I can tell you this...they were delicious. I was the official taster and the rice cakes were cheesy (Parmesan and Fontina) but the chives gave them a great (but slight) onion flavor. We decided that as much as they tasted great without a dipping sauce, we figured we'd create one and then see whether it worked.

Off to work I went...

Tomato Dipping Sauce

        2 - 8 ounce packages of cherry or grape tomatoes (sliced in half)

        4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

        1/2 cup of olive oil

        12-16 fresh basil leaves, chopped

        2-3 tablespoons of freshly chopped chives

        salt and pepper to taste

Preheat a medium saute pan on medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the olive oil. Add the sliced garlic and saute until slightly golden. Remove from oil and throw away. Add the tomatoes, and cook for 5 minutes Add the basil, chives and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, the sauce is ready.

We put the risotto cakes on top of the sauce and it was perfect. Most times when you are served risotto cakes or Arancini Rice Balls, there is usually a tomato sauce mixture for dipping. As much as we used this for the risotto cakes, it's actually a great sauce for pasta or bruscetta. 

If you are looking for a different type of appetizer or even as a light luncheon idea, try this. It will be an event to remember! 

Ingredients

3 cups (about) low-salt chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided
1/2 cup (packed) coarsely grated Fontina cheese (about 2 ounces)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 large egg yolk

2 large eggs
Canola oil (for frying)

Additional grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh chives

Preparation

Bring 3 cups broth to simmer in small saucepan. Reduce heat to very low; cover and keep warm. Heat olive oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Add wine; stir until absorbed, about 30 seconds. Add broth, 1/3 cup at a time, and simmer until rice is just tender and risotto is creamy, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more, and stirring often, about 18 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in 6 tablespoons Parmesan and butter. Season generously with salt and pepper. Spread risotto in 13x9x2-inch pan and cool completely.

Mix 1/2 cup panko, Fontina cheese, parsley, chopped chives, and 1 egg yolk into risotto. Shape into 1 1/4-inch balls; flatten to 2-inch rounds. Arrange on rimmed baking sheet. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 250°F. Set another rimmed baking sheet in oven. Beat 2 eggs in shallow bowl to blend. Place 1 cup panko in another shallow bowl. Dip risotto cakes into beaten egg, then into panko to coat. Pour enough canola oil into large skillet to coat bottom; heat oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sauté risotto cakes until crisp and brown, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to baking sheet in oven.

Serve risotto cakes sprinkled with cheese and garnished with chives.

Checklist for a Football Gathering or Tailgate Party

This past summer, we did a Checklist for a Great Cookout. It did surprisingly well as a resource both within the Friends Food Family Community and the internet. Over the past few weeks, we have been putting together some great recipes which we can tie together for a checklist for a football gathering or tailgate party.

 

Let's start with dessert first. No football event is complete without Chocolate Covered Football Oreos. These were easy to make and disappeared quickly. We covered them in both dark chocolate as well as Symphony Milk Chocolate with Almonds and Toffee Bits.  We'll give you a heads up...the milk chocolate go faster than the dark chocolate. The other dessert which is great for a large group is the Apple Slab Pie. The pie can travel in the sheet pan, it's easy to cut and eat with your hands. The nice thing about this pie is it uses ready made crusts which cuts your prep time in half.

Let's start with a few appetizers:

1. Sticky Chicken Wings - They are addictive. We normally make 5 pounds at a time because they go quickly. If you have a large crowd, we would suggest doubling the recipe. Another recipe we use for chicken wings is a little sweet and more sour. Try this one, too!

Sweet and Sour Chicken Wings

1 cup of dark brown sugar

1 cup of zesty italian dressing

1 cup of cola

1 cup of ketchup

1 - 5 pound bag of frozen chicken wings

Mix together in a bowl until well incorporated. Place frozen chicken wings in a large roasting pan. Pour this marinade over the chicken wings. Stir the wings so that they are evenly covered with the marinade. Cover with aluminum foil.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place in oven for one hour.

At the end of the first hour, remove the foil. Turn all the chicken wings over. They will be floating in the sauce. Cook for 30-45 minutes or until the wings become golden or slightly blackened. remove from oven and pour 1/2 of the liquid from the pan. Turn over the wings and cook for another 30-45 minutes to a dark golden brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

2. Killer Guacamole - What can we say! It's a staple for any party.

3. Our favorite for any party or gathering, Asparagus and Proscuitto.

 

And for the meal time filler, we would suggest chili. We have two we make on a regular basis, Al Roker's Spectacular Beef Chili and White Bean Chili with Chicken. Both chili recipes are delicious, filling and always enjoyable on a cold day. Real comfort food.

 

If you want to serve something other than chili, try the Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas. These you can prep ahead of time and they take a few minutes to put together and cook. We have also substituted the chicken and spinach with pulled pork (covered with your favorite barbecue sauce) and red onions. These can be served as both a meal or appetizers because you can pick them up with your hands and eat them.

To end, we will leave you with Muddy Buddies. Though we highlighted them as a cool summer treat, take them out of the freezer and place them in bowls around the room. They are great little snacks for those looking for "light" sweets after a day of great food!

Enjoy this combination of favorites and pass them on to your friends and family!

Boston Globe's Fish Chowder with Proscuitto - The BEST!

 
 

Here is part two of our Boston Globe article, "Hake goes from trash fish to treasure". This Fish Chowder with Proscuitto is the wonderful results of last night's meal Hake Wrapped in Proscuitto.

I think I will just start by saying this is the BEST fish chowder I have ever tasted. Hands down, better than clam chowder, too.

Take out those three servings of fish and potatoes from our last blog article, Hake Wrapped in Proscuitto. Take the proscuitto off the fish and chop coarsely. Do the same for the fish and potatoes. 

Note that we did things a little differently: 

1. We used scrod as the white fish since we couldn't find hake.

2. We used seafood broth, which we found in the broth section at the supermarket.

3. Ours didn't look as golden as theirs so we added a few threads of saffron.

This recipe took us about fifteen minutes to put together. It was a nice hearty chowder with rich flavors. It wasn't thick but it was creamy and the fish and potatoes gave it body. It happened to be rainy and cold the night we served it, so it hit the spot for warming you up.

We were so impressed with the taste of the chowder, we are going to make a pot of the chowder the next time since this recipe only feeds 4. We will take the time to cook the fish and potatoes the night before and then quickly make the chowder the following day.

If you want to impress your friends and family, cook the Hake Wrapped in Proscuitto next weekend and serve this chowder as a meal or appetizer at your next gathering. You will mark this recipe as a favorite under "The BEST fish chowder...EVA!" 

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of butter

6 scallions, chopped using both green and white pieces

Proscuitto from pieces of fish, chopped coarsely

Sliced potatoes from fish, chopped coarsely

2 cups of clam or fish broth

2 cups of heavy cream

3 pieces of cooked fish, flaked into large pieces

2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley

Salt and Pepper

Preparation:

1. In a soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.

2. Add the prosciutto and continue cooking, stirring often, for 2 minutes.

3. Add the potatoes, clam or fish broth, cream, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer 3 minutes.

4. Add the fish and cook 2 minutes or until the fish is heated through. Taste the chowder for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like.

5. Ladle the chowder into bowls. Sprinkle with parsley.

Sticky Chicken Wings

 

Are you looking for a great appetizer to serve at your next football gathering, tailgate party or family cookout? I have a recipe that has three ingredients and is guaranteed to become a party favorite...STICKY CHICKEN WINGS.

I can't remember where the actual recipe came from but, I think it was Cousin Dave who borrowed it from his mother, Auntie Ree-Ree. I probably cook mine a bit differently than they do, but the results are still the same...(sticky) finger lickin' good!

They are so good, they fall into the category of addicting. Sweet and Salty, a perfect balance. It's like the old Lay's potato chip commercial, "Nobody eats just one". It's really one after another after another!

To start:

5-6 pounds of frozen chicken wing parts

Place these in a large roaster pan.

Mix:

3 cups of brown sugar

3 cups of soy sauce

Place these ingredients in the bowl and mix well. It will be very thick and syrupy. Pour this over the chicken wings. Stir the wings so that they are evenly covered with the marinade. Cover with aluminum foil.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place in oven for one hour.

At the end of the first hour, remove the foil. Turn all the chicken wings over. They will be floating in the sauce. Cook for 30-45 minutes or until the wings become golden or slightly blackened. remove from oven and pour 1/2 of the liquid from the pan. Turn over the wings and cook for another 30-45 minutes to a dark golden brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

And no fighting over the last wing!

Apologizes for the picture which is a bit blurry....maybe it was my sticky fingers taking the picture!

 

Seared Tuna with a Sesame Crust

 

A while back I wrote about a great sesame seed crust for salmon, Black Dog Tavern's Sesame Crusted Salmon Fillet. The recipe came from The Black Dog - Summer on the Vineyard - Cook Book by Joe Hall and Elaine Sullivan. It is one of the most popular entrees at The Black Dog Tavern.

One night we decided to try the recipe on our tuna and it was absolutely delicious. The combination of sesame seeds and sesame oil brought an incredible flavor to the fish. I know this may look quite rare to some, but this is the best way to enjoy tuna.

The first time I had tuna was at Rialto Restaurant in Boston. I ordered it because I knew it tasted similar to swordfish. When it arrived, I wasn't sure I would be able to eat it, it looked so rare. As it stands, it was the best tuna I have ever eaten, outside of our house, of course.

I'm so glad I did because I truly enjoy tuna, especially when we make it with this crust. Try this on your next piece of tuna, you'll love the results.

Ingredients

3/4 cups of plain bread crumbs

1/2 cup of raw hulled sesame seeds

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons of Spanish paprika

2 teaspoons of chopped fresh parley

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon dark (toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 pounds of boneless, skinless salmon fillets about 1 inch thick

Preparation

1. Mix together the bread crumbs, sesame seeds, white pepper, salt, paprika, parsley and 1/4 cup of sesame oil.

2. Place a saute pan over medium high heat and add the canola oil. (We used our LeCruset grill pan)

3. Rub tuna tops with the remaining sesame oil and then press oiled tops into the bread crumb mixture and coat well.

4. Place the breaded tuna, bread crumb side down, in the hot pan and sear for about 2 minutes or until evenly browned. (2 minutes was what we seared for our pictured results, if you like your tuna less rare, please cook longer)

5. Turn the tuna over and continue to cook on the other side for about 2 minutes more.

6. Before we remove the tuna from the pan, we will sear the sides slightly, holding the tuna for about 30 seconds on each side.

7. Slice and enjoy!

  

Zucchini and Tomato Frittata

  
When I got out of college, and lived on my own, making meals for breakfast, lunch or dinner was always a challenge. If my roommate was home and we were both tired, a box of Triscuits and some cheddar cheese did the trick for an "any" night dinner. One day, I read an article about frittatas and started making them. They were easy and you could basically put anything you want into them.

I had a few cups of shredded zucchini left from making all our zucchini bread (check out the Chocolate Zucchini Cake and the Pineapple Zucchini Bread) and decided I needed to do something so it wouldn't go bad. With one starving son in the kitchen looking for breakfast, I knew what I could make...a zucchini frittata. As I was putting it together, I went out to the garden to see what else I could "throw" in. I found ripe cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and lemon thyme. I had everything I needed to create a healthy breakfast.

My son, Michael, was impressed. This was a little different from his standard omelette. Since he only ate half of it, it gave my mother and I the opportunity to taste what was left. The fritatta was nice and firm and bursting with flavor. The zucchini and tomato, fresh from the garden, is amazing in anything. Add fresh herbs and a little cheese and it was perfect. I love that quiche consistency without the crust.

A frittata is one of those wonderful dishes that can get your vegetables and proteins in one quick, easy, and delicious meal!

Start with:

6 eggs

1/2 cup of half and half cream

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

Blend together with a fork or whisk until well incorporated, set aside.

Pre-heat the oven to broil.

In a medium sized frying pan over medium heat, add

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Add to the pan:

1 chopped scallion, sauteed for 2 - 3 minutes, until translucent.

Stir in:

1 cup of shredded zucchini

6 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

6 basil leaves, torn

1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme

Cook for about 3 - 5 minutes, the tomatoes will begin to soften.

Add the egg mixture:

Stir the egg mixture and move the mixture around until it begins to set and there is a bit of wetness to the top. Take the frying pan off the burner and sprinkle with

1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese

Place the pan under the broiler (SEE NOTE) and cook until the top is light to golden brown (2-3 minutes). The eggs will now be firm. Remove from the broiler and let cool slightly. The frittata should slide out of the frying pan. Cut into wedges. Feeds 2-3 people.

NOTE: Read manufacturer's instructions for placing frying pans under the broiler. I place foil around my handle to protect the rubber.

Saveur's Shrimp and Grits

 

Last year, Jeff and I traveled to Charleston, South Carolina and enjoyed the best shrimp and grits dinner at Carolina's. Since that time, we have been in search of a shrimp and grits recipe. Carolina's shrimp and grits was made with andouille sausage, which brought an amazing flavor to the dish. We found a recipe with the andouille sausage but it just didn't taste the same. We weren't sure if it was the recipe or the grits. We just couldn't get it right. 

A few weeks ago, Jeff found another shrimp and grits recipe which looked pretty good. The ingredients were basic and it had bacon instead of sausage. This Shrimp and Grits recipe was from Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill, North Carolina; it was highlighted in Saveur Magazine.

We loved this recipe for two reasons. Not only did it taste great, but we have served it both as a main course as well as an appetizer when we recently entertained friends. We still have a little bit of difficulty with grits. We found the instant grits were easy and tasty. The next time we make it, we will attempt stone-ground grits, and will probably take the hint from the restaurant and let the grits soak overnight.

Like the cooks at Crook's Corner, the celebrated restaurant in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, we recommend using stone-ground grits. They take more time to cook, but their flavor and texture are richer than instant grits. For quicker cooking, let the grits soak in water in the refrigerator overnight.

Ingredients:

1 cup white or yellow stone-ground grits
3/4 cup grated cheddar
1/4 cup parmesan
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
Kosher salt
2 tbsp. canola oil
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 lb. medium shrimp (about 30), peeled
   Freshly ground black pepper
6 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice, plus 4 lemon wedges
1/2 tsp. hot sauce, preferably Tabasco
4 scallions, thinly sliced

Preparation:

1. In a 2-qt. saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and whisk in grits. Cook, whisking frequently, until grits are tender and creamy, 30–40 minutes. (Whisk in more water for thinner grits.) Whisk in cheddar, parmesan, and 1 tbsp. butter and season with salt; cover and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel–lined plate; set aside. Reserve cooking fat in skillet.

3. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Over medium-high heat, add shrimp to skillet and cook, turning once, until bright pink, about 2 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a plate with a slotted spoon. Lower heat to medium; add mushrooms to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until golden, 1 minute. Raise heat to high, add chicken broth, and scrape bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon. Cook until broth reduces by half, 3 minutes. Return shrimp to skillet along with the lemon juice, remaining butter, and hot sauce and cook, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Divide grits between 4 bowls; top each with shrimp and its sauce. Garnish each bowl with bacon, scallions, and lemon wedges.

SERVES 4

William-Sonoma's Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas

 

Friday was quesadilla and mojito night. Nothing better than a minty refreshing drink with some great finger food. Jeff found this recipe in a cookbook I purchased a while back called William-Sonoma Weekend - Food Made Fast. The recipe was called Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas. Hands down, the easiest meal to make and HEALTHY! I know many of my recipes don't give nutritional value, but look at the ingredients...fresh and basic.

Our household loves any type of Mexican food and as much as they love our chicken enchiladas, we have a new recipe to add to our list of "regulars." We made it with our Killer Guacamole and added some warmed black beans. With all the other compliments, salsa, sour cream and shredded Monterey Jack cheese, everyone continued to build their quesadillas to their liking.

The flavor was great with the moist roasted chicken, wilted fresh spinach and mushrooms. The Monterey Jack cheese was a perfect blend to these fresh ingredients. Crunchy tortillas, fresh veggies...they were delicious.

If you have had a long week (or a short one because it is only Monday!) and are looking for a quick and easy meal for dinner, pick up these ingredients and presto! Chicken and Spinach Quesadillas.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons corn oil

6 ounces fresh button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

2 cups packed baby spinach

2 cups shredded roast chicken, homemade or purchased

8 flour tortillas, each 10 inches in diameter

2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup salsa, homemade or purchased

PREPARE THE FILLING: In a large, heave fry pan over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the mushrooms and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and chicken and saute just until the spinach is wilted, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl.

ASSEMBLE THE QUESADILLAS: Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas, spooning it onto half of each tortilla and leaving a 3/4-inch border uncovered. Sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Fold the tortillas in half over the chicken mixture to enclose loosely.

COOK THE QUESADILLAS: Wipe out the fry pan with a paper towel and return to medium heat. Brush lightly with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Working in batches, add the quesadillas to the pan and cook until golden brown on one side, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a large spatula, carefully turn the quesadillas and cook until golden on the other side and the cheese is melted, 2 to 3 minutes more.

Divide the quesadillas among 4 plates and serve. Pass the sour cream and salsa at the table.

Wilted Spinach Salad with Bacon and Balsamic Vinaigrette

The other night, we were looking for a quick and easy salad to serve with our Herb Gnocchi with Mushroom Sauce. (Recipe will follow this week.) We did a quick google search and came up with this wilted spinach salad recipe. It was offered through the What's Cooking America website.

We liked it because it had few ingredients, we were able to cook the bacon ahead of time, and the vinaigrette cook minutes to complete. Because we eat cold salads on a regular basis, we forget how good a warm salad tastes. With a little bit of red onion and chopped bacon, it was delicious. I wish the picture of the salad was better. Sometimes the kitchen lights at night are not conducive for picture taking.

If we were going to make this more of a meal, we could add chopped eggs, craisins and a few walnuts. Grilled chicken would be good, too. This recipe is a great base and you can dress it up with your favorite likes. 

Ingredients 

6 cups (5-ounces) fresh spinach leaves, washed, dried, and chilled
2 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup minced red onion
1/4 teaspoon coarse or sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, 1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon good-quality aged balsamic vinegar

Preparation:

Remove stems and veins from spinach and tear into bite-sized pieces; place spinach in a large bowl.

In a small frying pan over medium heat, fry bacon approximately 5 minutes or until crisp; transfer with slotted spoon to paper towel-lined plate, leaving fat in pan. Return frying pan to medium heat; add oil, onion, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is slightly softened. Add balsamic vinegar; swirl to incorporate.

Pour warm dressing over spinach and toss gently to wilt (when properly wilted, the leaf edges soften slightly, but the spinach retains some crunch). Sprinkle bacon over spinach and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Cinco de Mayo Throwndown - Killer Guacamole VS Tequila-Lime Guacamole

 
Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo and what better way to celebrate than an ice cold margarita with some killer guacamole and chips. For the past few years, Jeff and I have been using this guacamole recipe at most of our gatherings. The other night we decided to have a "GuacamoleThrowdown"...Friends Food Family style.

This weekend in the Boston Globe Magazine, there was a section called Tequila and Lime. There was a guacamole recipe called Tequila-Lime Guacamole. It was a little different from our traditional recipe as it used red onions and included tequila. I mixed up a batchand we began our taste test. The guacamole was creamy with chunks and had a nice lime and cilantro flavor. I liked the crunchiness of the red onions and the jalapenos brought some nice heat.

Next was our Killer Guacamole. It comes from a margarita book I purchased from Williams-Sonoma. This recipe is made with tomatoes which gives it some additional flavor. I have always like this recipe because you taste everything from the garlic to onions and cilantro. I love serving it with black bean chips.

After the Throwndown it was decided...quite unanimously...it's the Killer Guacamole. Everyone liked both guacamole but there was a little more flavor with the "killer".

I've given you both recipes, so I'll let you decide. Also, I apologize for only one picture which is the Killer Guacamole. The tequila-Lime Guacamole picture came out extremely blurry.

Killer Guacamole Makes about 3 cups

4 ripe Haas avocados

1/2 cup of finely chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup of finely chopped white onions

2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

1 small jalapeno pepper, minced (we use half)

1/4 -1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt

3 tablespoons of fresh lime juice

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Pepper to taste

Scoop the flesh from the avocados and place into a bowl. Mash the avocados leaving some chunks. Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and lime juice. Once blended add cilantro and additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with tortilla chips (and margaritas). Enjoy!

Tequila-Lime Guacamole Makes 2½ cups

3 ripe Haas avocados, halved

¼ cup very finely chopped red onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small jalapeno pepper, minced (about 1 tablespoon)

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

¼ cup tequila, or to taste

Salt and black pepper

¼ cup fresh lime juice

Scoop the flesh from one avocado into a medium bowl, add the onion, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, tequila, ¾ teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste, and mash well with a fork. Working with the remaining avocado halves 1 at a time, use a dinner knife to make ½-inch crosshatch incisions in flesh, cutting down to but not through the skin. With a soup spoon, scoop the avocado chunks into the bowl with the avocado-onion mixture. Sprinkle the lime juice over the mixture and stir gently. Taste the guacamole and adjust the seasoning with additional salt, black pepper, and tequila, if desired. Serve at once.

Cioppino-Style Seafood - Shrimp and Mussels

 
Last week we had some friends for dinner. Actual term is Guinea Pig Dinner - no idea of what we are serving, hence, they become the guinea pigs for dinner. We decided we would have seafood so we went to New Bedford to get some mussels, shrimp and swordfish from Kyler's Catch Seafood and some golden yukon fingerlings at Sid Wainer & Son. Jeff had found a recipe for mussels and shrimp and we were eager to try it. What we liked about the recipe was that it had some citrus in the broth and it peaked our culinary interest. The only downside to this recipe is that we don't know where we got it. It was in a magazine under a special advertising special. I love to give credit to the author or chef.

The prep time was pretty quick once we got the shrimp peeled and deveined. The house smelled heavenly as the mixture was simmering and the final product was delicious. The shrimp and mussels were tender and nicely flavored. The broth was light and flavorful (with that little bit of lemon and orange zest and hot pepper kick!) and the bread was perfect for sopping up the remains after the shrimp and mussels were gone. 

We're looking forward to trying this again, especially as we begin to hit the warmer weather and we can sit outside enjoying this like a mini clambake.

Basic Description: Tender mussels and shrimp are cooked in a golden saffron tomato broth, which is enhanced with fresh citrus flavor.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

1/4 teaspoon saffron threads

2 (14.5 oz) cans of Hunt's Petite Diced Tomatoes - undrained

1 cup of water

1 tablespoon drained capers

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon orange zest

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon red hot pepper flakes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 pound jumbo shrimp in shell, peeled and deveined

2 1/2 pounds of mussels, scrubbed well and beards removed (if attached)

1 loaf artisan Italian bread cut into slices

Heat oil in a large skillet of dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Add saffron, undrained tomatoes, water, capers, lemon zest, orange zest, lemon juice, orange juice, hot red pepper flakes and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally.

Add shrimp, return to a simmer and simmer until shrimp is just cooked through, stirring occasionally about 3-4 minutes. Transfer shrimp with slotted spoon to bowl and set aside. Add mussels to skillet and return liquid to simmer, cook and cover, just until mussels open wide, about 4-6 minutes. (Discard any mussels that remain unopened after 8 minutes.) Return shrimp to the skillet.

Serve the stew in shallow soup bowls with bread on the side for dipping.

Linguica and Steamers for Two

  

 

I am fortunate to work with some great people. One of them is Tammi Jacobsen. We are blog partners. When I started Friends Food Family about 6 months ago, Tammi started Gracie's Bark. Starting a blog wasn't easy and it was nice to have someone working on the same blogging system as you. We have been able to work through many successes and frustrations. Tammi has talked about this recipe for a while and I bug her every time she makes it. I asked her to be a guest blogger and she was kind enough to send this recipe.

 

Read on...

 

Rob and I are always looking to spice up our cooking in different ways. The weather this weekend hasn’t exactly felt like spring time, so we were looking to cook a summer meal to keep our spirits up. We stopped at the new Fisherman's Market in New Bedford and picked up some steamers. We decided to make a smaller version of a clam boil for dinner and it was delicious! We wanted to share this recipe with Trish and Jeff at Friends Food Family.

 

Ingredients:

 

1-½ pounds of Steamers

1 pound of spicy (hot) Linguica (slice into 1 inch sections)

1-2 tablespoons of butter

2 -3 cups of water (depending on size of steamers)

 

 

Spices:

 

Weber Grill Creations Zesty Lemon Seasoning (sprinkle to your desire)

Paprika (about 1 tablespoon)

Minced Garlic (about 1 tablespoon)

Crushed Red Pepper to taste

 

 

Preparation:

 

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil; add Linguica, butter and spices. Simmer for about 2-3 minutes, and then add the steamers. Once steamers have been added, you may need to add the 3^rd cup of water. You want to be able to boil the steamers, but not have them all completely submerged in the water.  Boil until steamers shells open up (about 10-15 minutes).  Turn off heat and let the pot sit for about 5 minutes with the cover on to absorb all the flavors.

 

It was an easy tasty dish that reminded us of summer. We really enjoyed it.

 

Tammi & Rob

 

Thanks, Tammi and Rob. We are looking forward to making this ourselves!

 

Also, look for their new blog, EyePictured showcasing Rob's photography.

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Mini Golden Yukon Potatoes with Dill

These are probably the best potatoes we have had in a long time.

We were at Sid Wainer & Sons in New Bedford and came across mini golden Yukon potatoes. They were about the size of grape tomatoes. We bought two pounds and figured we could find a new recipe to use them in. As we looked for recipes to jazz up these potatoes, we realized that maybe just a pan saute would be fine. We boiled the potatoes first and then I threw them into the frying pan with a little butter. We had some fresh dill from the weekend before and figured we'd add it to the dish.

They were great. Browning them in the frying pan gave them a crunchy skin and soft centers. The dill was perfect and didn't overpower the potatoes. We enjoyed our potatoes with a porter house steak. Nothing better than steak and potatoes.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of mini golden Yukon potatoes

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoon of fresh dill

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Place potatoes in a pot of water (generously salted) and bring to a boil. Boil for 15-20 minutes.

2. Remove from pan and cool slightly.

3. Heat a saute pan over medium heat and melt the butter, place potatoes and dill in the pan and saute until sides of the potatoes are slightly golden brown (approximately 10 minutes).

4. Salt and pepper to taste.

La Cucina Italiana's Sausage Risotto with Cranberry Beans

 

Risotto is a staple at our house. Similar to having pasta, we eat risotto almost once a week. We found this recipe in La Cucina Italiana. We love this magazine so much we won't cut out any recipes, we keep the entire booklet intact. The recipes are authentic Italian, real comfort food. 

Many people feel risotto is difficult to make, but once you get the technique down, it is easy.

Here are a few quick tips when making risotto:

- heat the stock and keeping it at a slow simmer

- keep the heat of the pan consistent, as much as it says to keep on medium heat, once you add the rice, we cook our risotto on medium low

- risotto cooks slowly, don't rush the process

We liked this Sausage Risotto with Cranberry Beans because it had beans in it. Most risottos have meats and/or vegetables but very rarely beans. It was a perfect dish, the chunky pieces of sausage brought a nice balance to the beans and rice. Try making a risotto recipe, you'll realize your time is worth the end result.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ medium onion, chopped
• 8 ounces Italian sausage, casings removed, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1¼ cups arborio rice
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 6 ounces canned cranberry beans, drained and rinsed (or small red pinto beans)
• 4 cups vegetable stock, boiling  
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ cup freshly grated paramigiano-reggiano
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation

In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and sausage, and sauté until the onion is translucent and the sausage is cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the rice, and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Deglaze with the wine, and stir well, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the cranberry beans and ½ cup stock, stirring until the liquid is absorbed before adding more. Continue adding stock in ½-cup increments, stirring frequently, until the rice is fully cooked but still al dente, about 15 minutes. (You may not have to use all of the stock.)

Remove from the heat, and stir in the butter and grated Parmigiano. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and let rest for 2 minutes before serving.

Easy and Delicious - Asparagus and Proscuitto

 
There is nothing better than asparagus wrapped in prosciutto. It's one of the best and easiest appetizers you can serve to a group of people. For me, it's like candy. When the prosciutto is grilled, it caramelizes and gives you that sweet taste. Combine that flavor with the asparagus and it is to die for. We have served this on numerous occasions and it always seems to be a favorite.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of fresh asparagus, remove lower 1/4 of asparagus stem

1/2 pound of imported prosciutto, thinly sliced

Olive oil, salt and pepper

Preparation:

After removing the lower stems, place the asparagus in a bowl. Toss with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Wrap 1 slice of  prosciutto around each asparagus spear. Place on grill over medium heat. Turn until all sides of the prosciutto are golden. About 5-7 minutes. Remove from grill and serve.

It doesn't get any easier than this!

Cornmeal-Crusted Roasted Ratatouille Tart

 

Another great appetizer to add to your list. We made this cornmeal-crusted roasted ratatouille tart from our Appetizers booklet by Fine Cooking on Saturday night. This booklet has become our new favorite. Four recipes which we marked as keepers and there were many others we would have liked to have tried.

This tart was very different tasting. It had a great cornmeal crust which balanced the freshly roasted eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes. The layers of mozzarella cheese and chopped basil pulled everything together. It was an appetizer which you might serve in late summer after you picked your vegetables fresh from the garden...absolutely amazing. The tart slices disappeared as quickly as we put them on the plate.

 Crust:

• 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/3 cup whole-grain flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 3 tablespoons water

Filling:

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced eggplant rounds (about 1/3 medium eggplant)
• 1 zucchini, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds (about 8 ounces)
• 3 medium tomatoes, sliced thinly
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese 
• 1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions:

For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine cornmeal, pastry flour, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to incorporate. Add butter and oil and pulse about 20 times, until mixture resembles small pebbles. Add water and pulse until mixture forms a loose dough. Remove dough from processor and press into bottom and about 1/8-inch up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a detachable rim. Press aluminum foil into the bottom and sides of the pan on top of the dough and weigh down with uncooked rice or pie weights. Place tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and remove rice and foil. Return to oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until no longer shiny and wet. Remove from oven and let cool.

For the filling: Increase the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat; saute shallots until soft, about 5 to 6 minutes. Spray 2 baking trays with cooking spray. Arrange the eggplant, zucchini and tomato slices on the trays in a single layer and brush with the remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and roast the vegetables until soft but not browned, about 15 minutes. Remove the vegetables from oven and cool.

Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Lay the eggplant slices in 2 layers on the bottom of tart; cover with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese and some of the shredded basil. Add the zucchini and shallots, top with another 1/3 of the mozzarella and basil, then the tomatoes. Top with rest of the mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted and vegetables have further wilted. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes, and cut into 8 slices. Serve warm.