Perfect Pesto - The Best Quick Meal

Quick perfect meal!

I went back to school this week and I need quick, easy, delicious meals that I can make whenever I get home from school.  Pesto pasta is the perfect choice!  I am blogging the basic recipe but you can add many things to the basic sauce to make it unique and interesting, such as roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives, red pepper flakes, grilled chicken or shrimp, a variety of fresh herbs, or different nut choices.  Bottom line: play around with it and include the things you love!

basil, lemon, garlic, Romano cheese

The basic recipe will only take you a few minutes to whip up. It includes a bunch of fresh basil, 2-3 cloves of garlic, the juice from 1/2 a lemon, 1/3-1/2 cup grated Romano cheese, 2 tbs toasted pine nuts, salt and pepper.  Put everything but the oil in a food processor and process until well chopped. Slowly add the oil and mix until blended but the flecks of basil are still visible.  As this sits it will separate...just give it a stir before putting it on the pasta.

the finished pesto, fresh cherry tomatoes, pasta

Cook one pound of pasta until it is al dente and reserve 1/2 cup cooking water.  Drain pasta and put back into the pot.  Add about 1/4 cup pesto and toss, then add more pesto and a bit of reserved cooking water so it is moist and not sticky.  Toss in grape tomatoes that have been halved.  Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve with lots of crusty bread!  The bread in this picture came from the Farmer's Market in Holden, MA.  I am pretty sure I could eat the whole loaf.  It is a rustic country bread that is slightly sweet with a terrific crust. It came from Five Loaves Bakery in Spencer, MA.

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Pesto & Pasta
yield: ~4 cups of pesto   prep time: ~10 minutes   cook time: ~5 minutes   difficulty: super easy!

Pesto
- bunch of fresh basil (around 3-4 cups)
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 1/3-1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
- 2 tbs toasted pine nuts
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil

Pasta
- one pound of pasta
- cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/3 cup grated Romano cheese

Instructions
1. Add all pesto ingredients to food processor and blend, adding olive oil until you reach a desired consistency.
2. Cook a pound of pasta until al dente, and reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water.
3. Drain pasta and put back into the pot.
4. Add about 1/4 cup pesto and toss.
5. Add more pesto and a bit of reserved cooking water so it is moist and not sticky.
6. Toss in grape tomatoes that have been halved
7. Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve with lots of crusty bread! 

Eggplant: Is it Anyone's Favorite Veggie???

Eggplant, zucchini, and red pepper stuffed with ricotta

My mother dropped off two eggplants and a pile of zucchini the other day...what on Earth was I going to do with the eggplant? Is it really anyone's favorite thing to eat? Once it's prepared I always like it, but it is never the first thing I think about making.  At this time of the year, anyone who has a garden that is growing eggplant is wondering what can I make with this besides eggplant Parmigiana. (Which is heavy and messy to make)??  I have one solution for you!

I love this recipe because the veggies are grilled first. Slice the squash and eggplant into fairly thin slices lengthwise, brush with oil and grill until there are marks on both sides.  Grill the peppers whole until charred then peel off skin when they are cool. Stack up eggplant, zucchini, and red pepper.

In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup Ricotta, 1/4 C grated Parmigiano cheese, 1 egg, a handful of fresh basil chopped, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Layer 1-2 Tbs filling on top of the veggie stack. Roll up and place on top of sauce.

The sauce is the easiest part...open a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes and put them into the bottom of a shallow casserole dish.  Add 1 Tbs chopped onion, 1 chopped clove of garlic, a bunch of chopped basil, salt and pepper.  Add a slice of fresh mozzarella on top of each roll and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Roasted Potatoes with garlic and Pecorino Romano Cheese

Golden Crispy Cheesy Potatoes

I could eat the whole batch of these!  They are super easy to make and absolutely wonderful to eat.  They go well with any grilled meats but I especially love them with burgers.  

Slice 4-5 Yukon Gold Potatoes into thin wedges.  Coat lightly with olive oil.  Sprinkle with 1/2-1 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, and 1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese.  Place in a single layer on cookie sheet that has been sprayed with Pam and bake at 400 for about 20 minutes.  The potatoes should be starting to brown.  Take them out and turn them over.  Sprinkle another 1/4 cup cheese over the potatoes and cook until very brown and crispy--about 20 more minutes.  Enjoy :-)

Spicy Black Beans and Corn Bread

Spicy Black Beans and Corn Bread

Eating clean.  It's the latest buzz word and I'm sure there are many interpretations of this phrase. For me, it means smaller portions, the freshest local ingredients, reduced fat and sugar (while maintaining the integrity of the dish), and less meat.  This meal, on its own, is hearty, healthy, and pure deliciousness--but you can always add grilled chicken or beef to make it more substantial.

Ingredients for the beans

The beans are best made in a crock pot and they can cook all day!  The dried black beans need to be soaked to soften the outer skin.  You can do it one of two ways: overnight in a large bowl of water or a quick soak which means you cover them with boiling water and let them soak for about an hour.  I usually do a quick soak because I forget to do it overnight!  In a heavy bottom frying pan saute the garlic, onion, and peppers in olive oil until they are soft.  Push the vegetables off to the side of the pan and add all the spices.  This really makes them fragrant and it releases their oils which is where the flavor comes from. Stir for a few minutes then add to the beans in the crock pot.  Add a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, salt, and pepper.  Add enough water to cover the beans. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Black Beans
All the spices are approximate.  Feel free to make them more or less spicy.  I like them very spicy so I usually add more Ancho and Chipolte
1lb dried black beans (soaked--see note above)
1 can Fire Roasted Tomatoes (14 1/2 oz)
1 small onion chopped
2-3 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 Tbs Cumin
1 Tbs Chili Powder (Hot)
2 tsp Chipolte Chili Powder
1 tsp Ancho Chili Powder
1 Tbs Oregano
2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

The corn bread recipe is adapted from Bandera Restaurant.  I had it several years ago while visiting Long Beach, CA.  I found a recipe for it on-line and began making it.  Although my family loved it, I thought it was too sweet and heavy.  I have made several modifications to the recipe and no one said a thing so I guess they still love it!  It should be made in a cast iron skillet so the pan can get get really hot before you pour in the batter.  For this recipe I used a very old cast iron mold for corn sticks and it came out great.
Corn Bread
Preheat oven and skillet to 400 degrees.

1 C flour
1 C cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1 (15 oz) can creamed corn
1 finely chopped poblano pepper
1/2 C butter, melted
1/2 C oil (I use Canola)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 eggs
1/2 C sugar

1. Mix flour, cornmeal, salt and baking powder and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine melted butter, oil, sugar, creamed corn and peppers.  Mix to combine.  Add eggs on at a time until well blended.  Add cheese.  Fold in flour mixture.
2. Remove skillet from the oven.  Carefully coat the pan with canola oil (I use a small brush).
3. Pour in batter.
4. Bake for 30-45 minutes--depending on the depth of your skillet.  The top should be nicely browned and a toothpick should come out clean.

A beer, some sour cream, a lime, and a few tortilla chips--hearty and delicious!!!

Peach-Blackberry Upside Down Coffee Cake

Peach-Blackberry Upside Down Coffee Cake

As promised, here is a post all about this beautiful coffee cake.  As I was searching around for recipes, I came across several that used a caramel fruit combination that I knew would be perfect.  However, most recipes call for a large amount of sugar added to the cake as well as 1/2 cup to 1 cup of butter.  I wanted the cake to be less rich and sweet because of the caramel topping.  Also, I knew I was going to add a brown sugar pecan crumble to the cake so that added all the richness that was needed.

I experimented with the measurements and I finally decided on 3/4 cup of white sugar for the cake. Next, I worked out the butter issue.  I ended up with 1/3 cup butter and 1/3 cup Canola oil combination for the fat in the cake.  The result is a lightly sweet cake that is very moist.

I made this cake in a non-stick Angelfood cake pan and it slid right out.  It can also be made in a large cast iron skillet--the result will be a more dense cake with a darker crust.

Recipe:
Caramel/fruit 

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

4 cup fresh peaches (pitted and sliced)

1 cup blackberries

The finished cake

Cake

1/3 cup butter 

1/3 cup Canola oil

3/4 cup white sugar

4 whole eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup milk

3 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Crumble topping

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup toasted pecans

generous pinch of sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Use a deep sided 10 inch pan, or wrap the outside of a 10 inch springform pan or Angelfood cake pan with aluminum foil to prevent leaking.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
4. Combine all ingredients for the crumble.  It should look dry and clumped.
5. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter. Bring to a boil, then pour into bottom of pan. Sprinkle with 3/4 sliced peaches, blackberries, and 1/2 crumble mixture.
6. In a large bowl, cream together butter, oil and the white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk. 
7. Pour 1/2 batter over caramel and fruit in pan. Add remaining crumble mixture.
8. Pour remaining batter over the middle layer.
9. Bake in the preheated oven for 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. If the top is getting too dark, cover lightly with foil. Check the cake at 60 minutes to determine doneness.
10. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto serving platter and carefully remove pan. Be extremely careful of hot caramel and fruit juices!

The cake is perfect for brunch served with baked eggs wrapped in ham (previous post)

Baked Eggs Wrapped in Ham with Feta

Baked Eggs Wrapped in Ham

To me, brunch is meal that MUST include eggs, toast, and something sweet (fruit doesn’t count).  This egg dish is simple, elegant, and truly delicious.  I experimented using various meats as the base and the best was thinly sliced deli ham—definitely not what I was expecting.  I also tried pancetta and prosciutto.  Both meats shriveled up too much even though I used a very generous amount.  The mistake was quite tasty to snack on while I made the rest of this dish!  The eggs came right from the farmer’s market this afternoon.  The yolks are an incredible shade of orange and the taste is incomparable.  I added a bit of Feta cheese and a sprinkle of parsley—Amazing and easy!  Tomorrow I will add a post about the sinful peach blackberry upside down coffee cake I made. It just came out of the oven and is cooling on the counter.  Together, these dishes are the perfect brunch with some fresh fruit and steaming hot coffee.

Eggs in a Cup

For each serving, do the following:

Line muffin tins with a slice of deli ham.  I used imported Polish Ham.  Make the piece stick up above the rim of tin.

Bake on 400 until the ham is brown on the edges and firmly in the shape of the tin.  Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes (or longer).

Into each ham lined tin drop an egg.  Add salt and pepper.  Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes—the egg will still be soft and runny.  Remove from oven and carefully remove each egg/ham from tin and place on plate.  Sprinkle with Feta cheese and fresh parsley.  Make yourself a slice of crusty toast and enjoy!

I am currently working on a few posts but I would really like to know what you want to read about!  Please drop me a note so I can make the things you want to see and make yourself.

Best,

Anne

Eggs from the Farmer's Market

Pasta with Fresh Tomato Basil Sauce in 30 Minutes!!

Fresh, Fast, Delicious Tomato Basil Pasta

In the summer, who wants to spend time cooking dinner?  NO ONE!! This awesome pasta dish can be made in 30 minutes. Serve it with crusty bread and everyone will be very happy. Ready-set-GO!

All the ingredients

To make everything go smoothly during the cooking process, prep all the ingredients first.  Crush the garlic, chop the basil, chop the tomatoes, and grate the cheese.  Put on a large pot of salted water and bring it to a boil.  While waiting for the water to boil, put olive oil in a skillet and heat on medium-high until shimmering.  Toss the pasta into the boiling water and give it a stir.

The sauce

Add the crushed garlic and red pepper flakes to the oil and cook until the garlic is soft and fragrant.  Add half the tomatoes and basil and toss it around a few times until the tomatoes are warm and begin to create a sauce. Add the wine and boil until syrupy (3-5 minutes). Cook the pasta until it is still firm to the bite and strain it.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss

Almost done!

everything together until the pasta begins to absorb some of the sauce.  If it seems dry, add some of the cooking liquid to loosen it up.  Remove from heat and add the reserved tomatoes and basil.  Plate the pasta and add a drizzle of good quality olive oil, some freshly grated Romano cheese, and a pinch of sea salt.

Voila--Ready for dinner!

INGREDIENTS: (serves four)
1 lb pasta--fresh or dried
2 cloves garlic chopped or crushed in a press
4-6 large summer tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
A large bunch of basil cut into thin ribbons
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
Freshly grated Romano cheese
Sea salt
Olive oil

Peach Bread Pudding With Brown Sugar Almond Crumble

Peach Bread Pudding

The peaches at the fruit stand looked and smelled amazing--I had to make something with them!  I worked with several recipes from my collection and one from Ina Garten.  The result is silky, lightly sweet, crunchy on top, and the peaches shine through as the star ingredient.

To get started, there are a few basic things you need to know:

First, peaches need to have their skins removed for this dish.  If the peaches are underripe, you can peel them with a sharp knife.  My peaches were getting a bit soft so that wouldn't work.  I cut an "X" on the bottom of the peaches and dropped them into a large pot of boiling water.  In about one minute the skin begins to curl around the "X".  Remove from the water using a slotted spoon and drop into ice water. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, peel back the skin with your fingers and slice them away from then pit.  I like to leave them in large chunks.

Second, a custard dish like this is best cooked in a water bath.  Find a large roasting pan that can accommodate your pudding dish surrounded by 1" of water.

This can be eaten warm or cold--I love it both ways!

INGREDIENTS
1 loaf Challah bread cut into cubes (depending on the size of your dish, you may only need 3/4)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 split vanilla bean (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
4 eggs
4 medium peaches peeled and cubed
1/3 C sugar
TOPPING
3 TBS brown sugar
1 TBS Flour
2 TBS softened butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 C sliced almonds

Put the bread cubes into a buttered 4 Qt casserole dish.  Mix in the peaches so they are evenly distributed.

Heat the milk, cream, sugar and vanilla over medium heat until boiling--set aside to cool slightly. Remove the vanilla bean pods and scrape out the seeds.  Add the seeds back into the custard mixture. Whisk the eggs in large bowl.  Very slowly add the slightly cooled milk mixture stirring constantly. Strain the mixture onto the bread and peaches--it is important to strain the custard to remove any bits of slightly cooked egg.  Let it stand on the counter for 10 minutes until the custard begins to get absorbed into the bread.

Place the whole casserole into an empty roasting pan and place it in a 325 degree oven.  Carefully pour hot water into the pan around the pudding so that it comes up about 1".  Use a water kettle for this so the water dos not get on the pudding.  Bake for 25 minutes then add the crumble on top and bake for another 25 minutes.

CRUMBLE
To assemble the crumble, add the sugar and flour to the softened butter and rub it with your finger tips. Add the cinnamon and almonds.

My Garden in a Bowl: A Beautiful Summer Salad

The garden veggies

 Gorgeous vegetables from my garden!  Today there will not be much in the way of a recipe.  This is more of an inspiration because food this fresh needs so little to be perfect.

I was bringing a salad to family party but I wanted more than the basics of lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers.  I fired up the grill and prepped red, yellow and orange peppers and some yellow and green squash with a light coating of olive oil, garlic powder, sea salt and pepper. I also grilled a few ears of shucked corn.  I grilled everything until it had nice grill marks on all sides.

Meanwhile, I washed and tore three kinds of lettuce (Salad Bowl, Boston, Green Leaf) onto a huge platter.  I added sliced cucumbers-I like pickling cukes in the summer because they don't have many seeds and they have a fresh taste and smell.  I sliced a 1/2 a Vidalia onion and added it to the greens.

Tomato, Tomato, Tomato

 The plump, juicy tomatoes needed nothing to be the star ingredient in the salad.  I cut them into wedges and placed them on top of the greens.  I love the creamy rich taste of avocado so I added a few of them.  The grilled, cooled veggies went around the greens.  Because I can't live without it, I added crumbled Feta cheese.

Here is the finished salad!!  For dressing,  I made a simple vinaigrette with wine vinegar, olive oil, crushed garlic clove, dried oregano, salt and pepper.

A salad that's ready to party!

Grilled Lamb Chops with Charred Peppers and Onions

Grilled Loin Lamb Chops

First, make friends with your local butcher.  He/she will be happy to cut these beauties to the thickness you want.  I like them to be at least 1 1/2 inches thick so they will stay rosey pink in the middle but develop a nice crust on the outside.

To prep the lamb for grilling, you don't need to do much!  I coat them with a bit of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, chopped up fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, and flat leaf parsley, several cloves of garlic that I put through a press, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Here is what they look like just before they go on the grill.

Before I put the lamb on the grill I cut up 3-4 colorful peppers--red, orange, yellow and 2-3 large onions (cut into wedges leaving the root end intact).  I use the same seasoning treatment on the veggies as the lamb. I like to grill these first until they are charred and beginning to soften.  Remove them from the grill and put them on a large platter. Cover lightly with foil and they will be fine just waiting for the lamb.

Grill the chops on a medium-hot grill-- but be watchful.  They can easily flare up because of the oil and the fat in the lamb.  At 145 degrees they will be medium rare.  Use a meat thermometer  inserted in the side towards the bone.  I usually take them off the grill when they are around 140 and let them rest. Place the resting chops on top of the grilled veggies so all juices can mingle.

I served these with tzatziki sauce and a tomato-corn-mint salsa.

Tzatziki Sauce

1/2 English cucumber very finely chopped

1/2 shallot finely chopped

1 garlic clove put through press

a large bunch of dill chopped

1/2 lemon

2 C plain Greek Yogurt (Fage is my favorite)

generous pinch of sea salt and black pepper

Chop the cucumber and shallot then roll tightly in paper towels to remove as much water as possible.  Line a fine stainer with paper towels and drain the yogurt until it is very thick.  Add the cucumber, shallot, garlic and lemon to the sauce and mix well.  Stir in the dill--there should be a lot of dill.  Add the lemon, salt and pepper to taste.  This is is best if it sits for about an hour for the flavors to develop. 

Tomato-Corn-Fresh Herb Salsa

1 basket grape tomatoes, quartered

1/2 bunch scallions-white part only-thinly sliced

2 ears corn -- grilled and cut off the cob

Fresh mint, basil, and parsley chopped up

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Salt and Pepper

Mix everything together and let it rest for at least an hour.

Fennel, Orange, Avocado Salad: Colorful, Crisp, Citrusy!

Fennel, Orange, Avocado Salad

Fennel is such an interesting and unique veggie.  It looks like a cross between bok choy and celery with dill like fronds sticking out the top but it doesn't taste like either of them.  It is in the anise flavor family but mild and slightly sweet.  It is very crunchy and it holds up even with dressing on it.  For this recipe, it needs to be very thinly sliced. Begin by cutting off all the long stems and save them for decoration.  Cut the bulb in half through the core.  Remove the core with a sharp knife ( I use a "V" cut).  Then slice the bulb into thin slices and drop them in a large bowl of ice water.  Drain and pat dry.  Place the fennel slices in a pretty bowl.

Next, peel the oranges with a sharp knife to remove all the peel and pith (the white part under the skin). Cut each section between the membranes.  Squeeze out all of the juice remaining in the orange after the sections are cut out.  Put this in a separate bowl.  Peel and slice the avocado and add it to the fennel and orange.  Very thinly slice a small shallot.  Put one quarter into the orange juice and the rest goes on top of the other salad ingredients.  Add the dried cranberries, toasted hazelnuts, salt and pepper. Lightly dress the salad and sprinkle with feta cheese.

To make the dressing, add a generous splash of olive olive to the orange juice.  Add 1/4 tsp. garlic, freshly ground black pepper, and a pinch of sea salt.

Ingredients
1 large fennel bulb
2 navel oranges
2 avocados
1 small shallot
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup toasted and roughly chopped hazelnuts
1/4 lb. crumbled Feta cheese
Olive oil
Sea salt (I use Maldon flake sea salt to finish the salad)
Black pepper