Monthly Archives: January 2012

Sauces and Dressings

Lemon Caper Vinaigrette

This quick and easy dressing is fabulous on roasted vegetables or mixed with lettuce in a salad.

The Juice Of ½ Lemon
A Minced Garlic Clove
A Tablespoon Of Capers
A Tablespoon Of Dijon Mustard
½ Cup Of Olive Oil
½ Teaspoon Of Sea Salt
A Pinch Of Ground Black Pepper
A Pinch Of Red Pepper Flakes

Combine the lemon juice, the garlic, the capers, the mustard, the sea salt, the black pepper, and the crushed red pepper flakes in a food processor. Pulse until well blended. While continuing to pulse, slowly drizzle in the olive oil through the small opening on the top of the food processor. Pulse until the dressing thickens slightly. Taste and add more sea salt and/or pepper, if desired.

This dressing can be refrigerated for up to a week.

Pizza, Vegetables

Pizza With Cremini Mushrooms, Yellow Peppers, Baby Spinach, And Zucchini

Pizza with Cremini Mushrooms, Yellow Peppers and Spinach

One Large Pizza Shell, Prepared
Eight Ounces Of Sliced Cremini Mushrooms
½ Cup Of Diced Yellow Bell Pepper
24 Ounces Of Baby Spinach (Steamed In Salted Water For Two Minutes And Then Drained)
½ Cup Of Diced Zucchini
Two Tablespoons Of Diced Red Onion
A Minced Garlic Clove
A Teaspoon Of Lemon Zest
The Juice Of ½ Lemon
Two Tablespoons Of Olive Oil
½ Teaspoon Of Sea Salt
¼ Teaspoon Of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
A Pinch Of Ground Black Pepper
Eight Slices Of Mozzarella Cheese
Six Slices Of Provolone Cheese

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.

Put a 12-14 inch non-stick sauté pan on medium high heat for four minutes. Add the olive oil and the sliced mushrooms. Cook without touching the mushrooms for 5 minutes. Turn the mushrooms over and cook for an additional four minutes. Add the yellow bell pepper, the zucchini, the red onion, the garlic, the lemon zest, the sea salt, the crushed red pepper flakes, and the ground black pepper. Continue to cook while stirring for four minutes (or until the peppers are soft).  Turn off the heat. Add the steamed spinach and the lemon juice. Stir all of the ingredients well.

Spread the cooked vegetables out evenly on the prepared pizza crust. Place the provolone cheese slices along the outer edge of the pizza. Place the mozzarella cheese slices in the middle of the pizza shell.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and browned slightly around the edges. Let the pizza cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Vegetables

Green Beans With Lime Vinaigrette

Green Beans with Lime Vinaigrette

1 1/2 Pounds Of Fresh Green Beans (Trimmed And Cleaned)
The Juice Of A Lime
A Minced Garlic Clove
A Tablespoon Of Finely Diced Shallot
Two Teaspoons Of Anchovy Paste
2/3 Cup Of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ Teaspoon Of Sea Salt
¼ Teaspoon Of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
A Pinch Of Ground Black Pepper

Combine the sea salt, the shallot, and the garlic in a salad bowl. Using a fork, mash to form a paste. Add the anchovy paste, the black pepper, and the crushed red pepper flakes. Mash again. Add the juice of a whole lime. Whisk until well blended. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Continue to whisk until the mixture is well blended and thickened slightly. Taste and add more sea salt and/or pepper, to taste.

Steam the green beans in about an inch of salted water until the beans are tender. Note: If a fork easily passes through a green bean, they are cooked to perfection. Drain the beans in a colander.

Add the cooked beans to the salad bowl with the dressing while the beans are still hot. Mix well. Taste and add more sea salt and/or pepper, if desired. Serve at once.

Pasta

Stuffed Shells With Spicy Tomato Sauce

Stuffed Shells with Spicy Tomato Sauce

A Pound Of Large Shells
Two Pounds Of Ricotta Cheese
A Beaten Egg
Five Minced Garlic Cloves, Divided
A Tablespoon Of Chopped Fresh Italian Parsley
Two Whole Italian Parsley Stalks
A Tablespoon Of Chopped Fresh Basil
Two Whole Fresh Basil Stalks
¼ Cup And Two Tablespoons Of Grated Romano Cheese, Divided
Six Ounces Of Frozen Chopped Spinach Thawed And Drained (Note: Squeeze Out As Much Water as Possible)
¼ Teaspoon Of Ground Nutmeg
Fifty Six Ounces Of San Marzano Tomatoes Hand Crushed With The Can Juices
A Finely Diced Serrano Pepper With Seeds But Without The Stem
¼ Cup Of Fine Diced Spanish Onion
A Fresh Marjoram Stalk
A Tablespoon Of Red Wine Vinegar
Two Tablespoons Of Sriracha Chili Sauce
Three Teaspoons Of Sea Salt, Divided
¼ Teaspoon Of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
¼ Teaspoon Of Ground Black Pepper
A Tablespoon Of Olive Oil

Wrap the ricotta cheese in cheesecloth and place it in a colander. Place the colander in a bowl. Refrigerate for two hours. This step allows water to drain from the ricotta cheese making it thicker.

Into a saucepot, add the olive oil, the onion, four of the minced garlic cloves, the serrano pepper, the red pepper flakes, and two teaspoons of the sea salt. Cook on medium high heat for 4 minutes while stirring. Add the red wine vinegar. Continue to cook and stir for three minutes. Add the Sriracha sauce. Continue to cook and stir for one more minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir well to incorporate all of the ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Tie the parsley stalks, the basil stalks, and the marjoram stalk into a bundle with cooking twine. Drop the herb bundle into the pot. Partially cover the pot and simmer the sauce for two hours or longer. After two hours, taste the tomato sauce and add more sea salt and/or red pepper flakes, if desired.

Cook the large shells in a pot of salted, boiling water according to the package instructions. Drain the shells in a colander and let them cool.

Combine the drained ricotta cheese, the egg, a minced garlic clove, the nutmeg, the chopped parsley, the chopped basil, a ¼ cup of the grated cheese, the spinach, a teaspoon of the sea salt, and the black pepper in a bowl. Mix well. Taste and add more sea salt, black pepper, and/or grated cheese, to taste.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place a thin layer of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a casserole pan. Carefully stuff each shell equally with the ricotta cheese mixture. Place them (open side up) next to one another on top of the tomato sauce in the pan. Spoon a tablespoon   of the tomato sauce over each shell. When all of the shells have been filled and placed in the casserole pan, sprinkle the remaining two tablespoons of the grated cheese over the top of them. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.

Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes. Let the shells cool for ten minutes before serving.

Rice

Rice Balls (Arancini) With Red Pepper Sauce

Rice Balls with Red Pepper Sauce

Have you ever wondered what to do with leftover rice or risotto? Read on.

One And One Half Cups Of Cooked Rice
A Beaten Egg
A Cup Of Panko Bread Crumbs, Divided
¼ Cup Of Grated Romano Cheese
1/2 Teaspoon Of Sea Salt, Divided
A Pinch Of Ground Black Pepper
¼ Cup And A Tablespoon Of Olive Oil, Divided
A Roasted Red Pepper
A Tablespoon Of Sriracha Chili Sauce
½ Teaspoon Of Red Wine Vinegar

Into a food processor, add the red pepper, the Sriracha chili sauce, a tablespoon of the olive oil, ¼ teaspoon of the sea salt, and the red wine vinegar. Pulse until smooth. Taste and add more sea salt and/or Sriracha chili sauce, if desired. Put the mixture in a small bowl and set it aside.

Combine the cooked rice, the beaten egg, ¼ cup of the bread crumbs, the grated cheese, ¼ teaspoon of the sea salt, and the ground black pepper in a bowl. Mix well. Using your hands, form the rice mixture into balls (about the size of golf balls). Brush the rice balls uniformly with the remaining ¼ cup of the olive oil. Spread ½ cup of the bread crumbs out evenly on a plate. Roll the rice balls in the bread crumbs making sure to coat each one evenly.

Place the rice balls in the refrigerator for at least one hour before cooking.

When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the rice balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the bread crumbs are golden brown.

Serve at once with the red pepper sauce.

Salads and Appetizers

Red Bean Dip

Red Bean Dip

A Cup Of Small Red Kidney Beans
A Minced Garlic Clove
A Tablespoon Of Chopped Scallion
½ Teaspoon Of Red Cayenne Pepper
¼ Teaspoon Of Sea Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Of Ground Cumin
Two Tablespoons Of Olive Oil

Into a sauté pan, add the olive oil, the beans, the garlic, the scallion, the red cayenne pepper, the sea salt, and the cumin. Cook on medium heat while stirring for four minutes. Turn the heat off and let the mixture cool for thirty minutes.

Add the cooled mixture to a food processor with a tablespoon of olive oil. Pulse until the mixture is smooth. Note: more olive oil may need to be added to attain a smooth consistency. Taste and add more sea salt and/or red cayenne pepper, if desired.

Refrigerate for one hour. Serve at room temperature with tortilla chips.

Soups and Stews

Broccoli And Cannellini Bean Soup

Broccoli and Cannellini Bean Soup

This soup is a tasty alternative to cream of broccoli. You will not even miss the cream. A hand blender is recommended but the soup can be pureed in a regular blender. If you use a regular blender, allow the mixture to cool before blending and blend it in batches.

Three Large Broccoli Crowns Roughly Chopped
30 Ounces Of Canned Cannellini Beans Drained And Rinsed
Five Minced Garlic Cloves
A Cup Of Roughly Chopped Red Onion
A Romano Cheese Rind
A Cup Of Grated Romano Cheese
1/3 Cup Of Cubed Pancetta
Two Teaspoons Of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
¼ Teaspoon Of Black Pepper
A Tablespoon Of Sea Salt
A Tablespoon Of Olive Oil

Into a large soup pot, add the olive oil and the pancetta. Put the pot on low heat and cook the pancetta until crispy. Add the onions, the cheese rind, the garlic, the red pepper flakes, the black pepper, and the sea salt. Cook on medium high heat for 3 minutes. Add the broccoli and cook while stirring for two minutes. Add enough cold water to just cover the broccoli. Bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer on medium heat partially covered for ten minutes. Add the cannellini beans. Continue to simmer partially covered for 30 minutes.

Using the hand blender, puree the mixture until smooth. Add the grated cheese and stir the soup well. Taste and add more sea salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and/or grated cheese, to taste. Keep the soup on low heat until you are ready to serve it.

Serve in bowls garnishing with bread croutons on top of the soup.