Basil Pesto trifecta

Summer is here and the livin’ is easy.  My strategy this year is to not only enjoy the local bounty today but to also save some for a rainy day.  So many years we just gorge ourselves on the local produce, and honestly think we never want to see it again.  Then the winter months arrive, and surprise, surprise, we’re ready for a taste of summer.

At our local Farmer’s Market and in Lon’s farm stand, basil is ruling the roost.  So, pesto it is!   A few batches of pesto creates treats for months to come.

The Cooking Light magazine has bunches of wonderful summer time treats in the current issue, go figure, but several with pesto caught my eye.  This was not one of those nicely planned, hmmmm, I’m making pesto, what else can I use it in this week kinds of things.  Oh no!  This was one of those, I want to make this, and that, and that other thing, and oh my, what a surprise that they all involve basil pesto.  And at this point some people have their radar way up, considering the word “craving” and may I just stop you right now.  No, nope, nada.  This is really just about the love of the green.  Really.

Warning, this is another recipe that will make measuring mavens crazy.  These proportions worked for three hefty bunches of basil.  But really, pesto is forgiving … you can do it!

Enjoy the basic basil pesto along with the sandwich pesto mayo and pesto dip options!

Basil Pesto

Ingredients:

3 bunches basil, leaves removed

8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 1/2 cups pine nuts

4 oz parmesan, grated

1/3 cup olive oil

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Add add basil leaves, garlic and pine nuts to food processor.  Pulse several times until roughly chopped.  It should look like bulgar at this point.

2.  Add parmesan and pulse processor again.  Slowly add olive oil until it gently puddles at the top of the pesto.  More oil may be needed depending on the temperature that day.

3.  Taste.  Add salt and pepper as needed.

Notes:

*  The parmesan adds a bit of saltiness, so do taste the pesto after adding the cheese and before adding the salt.

*  Don’t get frightened of salt here .. up to a point it just makes the flavor burst!

Asparagus with Parmesan Crumbles

Looking for a way to dress up some roasted asparagus?  This is a nice little ditty. It has all of those important components:  delicious, pretty, local seasonal asparagus.  This dish started with some good luck:  I got the last two bunches of the good stuff from the Arata farm stand, leaving the tub empty.

Recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger on The Food Network.

Ingredients:

• 2 slices whole-wheat bread, crusts removed
• 2 hard-boiled eggs
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
• 1/2-ounce (1/4 cup) freshly grated Parmesan
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Pinch pepper
• 2 pounds asparagus, washed, ends snapped off

Directions:

1.  Pulse the bread in the bowl of a food processor until it becomes fine crumbs. Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat pan over medium-high heat until hot. Lower heat to medium, add bread crumbs to the skillet and toast, tossing often, until crumbs are golden brown and toasted, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.

2.  Grate eggs medium microplane grater, omitting one of the yolks. Combine the egg, bread crumbs, parsley, cheese, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl and toss to combine.

3.  Grill the asparagus until firm, but tender, about 4 to 6 minutes, turning once.

4.  Arrange asparagus on a serving platter and top with Parmesan-Egg Crumb Topping.

Notes:

• The original recipe called for just one egg, but the yolk to whites ratio just didn’t work for me, hence the whites from a second egg.
• We only used about half of the topping on our asparagus, and it was plenty.
• I’d make this again for guests, but for our family dinners, simply grilling that lovely asparagus with a bit of olive oil and kosher salt still rules the day!

The Potato Salad

Oh Easter!  While ham is the traditional center piece of the traditional family meal, we take the opportunity to pig out in our own way.  See, at this house, warm weather, a celebratory day, and some time for lingering and hanging out lake side means just one thing:  ribs!  These are not your boil then bake ribs, nor your grill and add some bottled sauce at the end ribs.  Oh no.  These are the gently prepped and rubbed with secret spices the day before, then smoked low and slow on the smoker for at least 4 hours with the patience of Job, while gently misting mop sauce on the works of art.  Yes, those ribs.  And I was to make the sides.

Unlike Thanksgiving, which is all about the sides, this was all about the ribs.  Potato salad is a must, but while I go for anything but the traditional style, the rest of my clan, and most importantly for this day the BBQer himself, likes that regular stuff.

Side story:  Lately, I’ve become a big follower of the More Than Burnt Toast blog where it feels like a conversation with a wonderful, grounded friend.  Nice. The most recent post was for the Barefoot Bloggers group who make and share recipes by or based on Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa.  These folk really share the love and admiration for her work.  So, trusting the blogosphere once again, I went to Ina for the perfect recipe.  And yes … Bingo!

Sources:

• Potatoes from Arata Fruits
• Dill from Chan’s

New Potato Salad

Ingredients:

3 pounds small red potatoes

Kosher salt

1 cup good mayonnaise

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

1/2 cup chopped fresh dill

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

Directions:

1.  Place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons of salt in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Allow the potatoes to steam for 15 to 20 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, dill, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Set aside.

3.  When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them into quarters or halves, depending on their size. Place half of the the cut potatoes in a large bowl. While the potatoes are still warm, pour enough dressing over them to moisten. Transfer to a plate.  Repeat with remaining potatoes, and again, transfer to the plate. (Doing this in batches prevents the potatoes from losing their shape.)

4.  Put the plate of lightly dressed potatoes in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cooled.   Add the celery and red onion, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. (As the salad sits, you may need to add more dressing.)  Toss well, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Notes:

* The steaming technique worked like a charm!

*  Actually, I used smallish red potatoes because that was what I found at Arata farm stand.

*  It took everything in me not to muck this up by adding a bit of dill pickle, some hard boiled egg, then just keep the additions going with some red bell  pepper and anything else that seemed to fit at the moment.  But, this turned out perfect … all about the potatoes and nothing else to distract it.

*  Naturally, a nice green salad would accompany this.  My “go to” vinagrette is a bit sweet to serve with ribs, so I tried another Barefoot Contessa recipe and its a true keeper,  simple enough to let the mixed greens shine.

Gremelli and Asparagus

Oh asparagus! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!

Last night, after a quickie pasta dinner, there was still lots of pasta left over. Time to raid the vegetable bin and make a pasta salad! And what was waiting there for me, just begging to be included in the fun? Asparagus. While many dishes that I toss together with bits of this and that from the pantry are better than prison food, I wouldn’t specifically shop for the ingredients to make that dish again. Not so this time. This my friends, is a winner. Part of the love in this dish (yes, that’s a shout out to Carla from Top Chef!) is the pasta itself. Costco carries this brand in 6 packs, and it is truly worth keeping some on hand.

The red wine vinegar gives this a nice tang while the Parmesan rounds out the flavors. Enjoy.

No notes were taken during the creation of this dish, so bear with me on the directions.

Ingredients:

half pack of gemelli or similar pasta, cooked al dente

1 bunch asparagus, but into 1 inch pieces

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp dried basil

3 TBS flat leaf parsley, minced

1 TBS olive oil, plus 1 tsp for cooking

1 TBS red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp kosher salt

ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat a skillet to medium high, add oil and asparagus. Quickly cook so that the outsides of the asparagus begin to darken but the insides are still crisp, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Add pasta and mix gently. Add Parmesan and asparagus to pasta and combine.

Steamed Clams al Fresco

Mmmm, a Friday evening with a bit of time on my own.  Open some white wine for the clams and the cook … about half cup in a pan, some diced garlic, a taste of diced sun dried tomato, add the clams, cover and warm over medium heat until those little beauties open.  Toss with a bit of flat leaf parsley.  And finally, for the first time this year, relax dining al fresco.  Perfect.

3 Strikes Artichoke Dip

Warning! This is all about the story and not about the recipe. Story … you never knew an artichoke dip with so much story!

Let me preface this by saying that I know artichokes. My parents raised them in the back yard. Even split our 6 or so plants to create even more. And we ate Every Single One of Them. Nothing wasted at that home. After I moved out and my parents could embark on their well earned travel, I tended said plants. Thats where I learned that artichokes go dormant for a few months every year. No matter how much you water them to keep them green, dormant they will go.

So, we’re looking for some kind of green veg to accompany our Sopranos Sunday Dinner, and preferably something that can be made before hand. Found a lovely recipe for artichokes stuffed with mozzarella and breadcrumbs and other yummy stuff. There’s nothing like winter time for breaking out those recipes where you start with a perfectly healthy vegetable and add lots of cheese, breadcrumbs and the like!

Long story short … I used the cookbook with the beautiful photos and lousy recipes. It instructed me to clean out the choke from each artichoke (before cooking? are you kidding me? these things are tough as weeds!), stuff with lovely mozzarella breadcrumb goodies, set in a pan with water, and bake for 45 minutes. Huh? No way that could work in my many years of experience with these fine thistles, but I’m always ready to learn a new trick. Strike one.

The dinner party is nearing and I figure I can cook a stinking artichoke. Cute small little artichokes are purchased and steamed lightly, left to set with stuffing all ready to go. Small, did I mention small? I cannot use a spoon to scoop out the middle of the adorably cute, perfectly portioned artichokes because they are too small and the leaves overlap too tightly in the middle. Determined, I make enough of them workable. Not a happy camper. Strike two.

Stuff the darned things and set in the oven with a bit of water to keep them from drying out. Dinner party starts, Sunday Gravy is set, Italian sausages are simmering perfectly, artichokes are alright. Main course comes around (our part as hosts of the gathering) and the artichokes literally fall apart in my hands! Ugh! Ready to toss the whole shebang, my friend J says that my bad experience looks like the makings of a lovely dip. Gotta love a good friend!

Long story short, we salvaged enough artichokes to get a bit of green on our meat and pasts laden plates. Everything that fell apart was tossed into a bowl, chopped the next day, mixed with the extra stuffing and tossed into the oven to bake. With that much artichoke in the dish, it was pretty green, but boy oh boy was it good!

If you are into stuffed artichokes, you’ll love this mixture. If not, just be glad you weren’t trying to present this to a party of 10. Let’s all just sit back and have a little laugh together with a bite of very green, very artichokey dip!

Stuffing ingredients:

5 oz fresh mozzarella, diced or shredded

1 lemon, juiced

4 TBS parmesan cheese, freshly grated

4 TBS fresh breadcrumbs

2 eggs, beaten

salt and pepper to taste

Spicy Bean Salad

Kaleidoscope dinner time again. Hmmmm, cooking dinner for a large family, not much time of my own for anything fancy, need to find something that can last in their fridge or freezer just in case of a family emergency. Enchiladas! One pan of cheese and one of chicken will give them some alternatives. Check. Rice. Check. Beans? This is where the plan fell apart. Personally, I’m soooooo tired of re-fried beans. If it was just for myself, I’d do a little black bean and tart queso fresco number. Perhaps my favorite “hearty” summer chip dip? It was time to try something new.

After perusing my favorite online haunts, I narrowed in on one that sounded like a winner both for taste and time. The original came from Karen Castle at www.allrecipes.com and is titled Mexican Bean Salad. Naturally, I altered it based on what was readily available (avocados on sale … yes!) and just my own personal preferences. But believe you me, that dressing is a total winner! It can best be described as a collision between a 3 bean salad dressing and your favorite Mexican spices that make you want to jump up and dance. Oh yeah, like that.

Without further adieu, here we go …

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 pimento pepper, chopped (optional)
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 3 avocados, diced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine beans, bell peppers, and red onion.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice, sugar, salt, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and black pepper. Season to taste with hot sauce and chili powder.
3. Pour olive oil dressing over vegetables; mix well. Gently fold in avocado. Chill thoroughly, and serve cold.

Notes:

• Do give this dish some time to chill. Chill is better than no chill. And, the density of the dish (geek alert!) means that the salad likes to retain its heat.
• Make enough for left overs. A healthy snack like this is perfect to stash in the fridge for snacking families.
• Those pimento peppers? Those are part of the local angle  cuz I had just picked some up from the vegetable stand and love them, but are not worth a trip to a specialty store just for this dish.
• Did you catch that? Yes, vegetable stand in December. That’s why we pay the big prices to live in California!

Potato Ho-licious Rosemary Potatoes

Boy am I ever thankful for my neighbor T sharing a bit of the herb with me.  Hey, I know what you’re thinking, but it is NOTHING like that!  His rosemary bushes are quite prolific, and he’s always kind enough to share.    Today, as I dreamed up my lovely Potato Ho dreams, I imagined my home filled with the woodsy scents of lovely rosemary. 

Mind you, these are some simple, roasted baby red potatoes, but do not undersestimate their power to impress!  I made a whole tray full of these little wonders, knowing I’d have plenty left for a nice little photo for you and some for my lunch (heck, breakfast!) the next day.  But, do you notice the ever so petite serving of these beauties?  You guessed it, the rest were happily gobbled up at the dinner table.  Now that is a true seal of approval!

 Thank you to Baking Delights for hosting the Ho Down for November.  Boy do I have an ugly story to share about my attempt to create the the beautiful potato chip on your site!  Potato and oil, should be simple, no?!

Menu:

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

Super Simple Spicey Snapper

Brussel Sprout Hash

 

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

2 tsp kosher salt

1 to 2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

rosemary leaves from 3 small stems

20 baby red potatoes, washed and cut into fourths

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Put olive oil, salt, rosemary and potatoes in a jelly roll or roaster pan and use your hands to mix it around so all of the potato pieces are evenly coated.   Just be sure the pan has a lip on each side so the oil doesn’t make a mess of your spotless oven.  (wink)

3.  Bake 15 to 20 minutes.

Notes:

* Yeah, it really is that simple.

*  To remove the rosemary leaves, just pull the stem through your fingers against the grain.

Flying Salsa

Is your mouth ready for a big ol’ hit of flavor?  Have I got a salsa for you!  The idea for this came from my mother in law, and I’ve been loving it ever since.

Mind you, this is what I call a “Friends and Family” salsa, as in you really need to be with friends and family when you indulge, or carry some really minty breath fresheners in your back pocket.

At this point, you surely have three questions:  what’s with the “flying” part of the salsa, why is this a local recipe, and why do those chips look so darned good?

Flying salsa:  salsa that flies around in the food processor, preferrably while the talented chef samples the beer.  Oh yes, this is THAT kind of salsa.  Here are the proportions and a few gentle reminders, again, hating to call such a simple concoction a recipe …

Ingredients:

1 white onion, roughly chopped

2 tomatoes, cut into wedges

1 serrano chili, seeded and cut into thirds or so

1 scant handful cilantro, chopped  (this is one of the few times I actually recommend going light on the cilantro, and just because the other ingredients get so tiny that the cilantro is all the wrong size, and oh my … I do think too much about my salsa!)

Directions: 

1.  Put onion in the food processor, pulse so it flies around until pretty tiny.  Scoop into a bowl.

2.  Put tomato in the food processor, pulse so it flies around until pretty tiny.  Scoop into the onion bowl.

3.  Put chili in the food processor, pulse so it flies around until pretty tiny.  Scoop into the tomato and onion bowl.

4.  Add cilantro and stir.

Notes: 

* Chill for at least an hour.  On the first day, it tastes a bit oniony, with the sweetness of the tomato.

*  Day 2 it tastes more like traditional salsa, nicely blended.

*  Day 3 that serrano chili flavor is everywhere, so be ready for an extra kick of heat.

 

Local angle:  all but the cilantro were purchased from Smith Family Farm. Yes, really.  In November.  To all of my mid-west friends, sorry to have even mentioned it.

The chips were home made … something you’ve just got to do a few times a year to remember how good fresh, hot, greasy, salty corn chips can really be.  Um  hmmm!

Chips:

Ingredients:

corn oil

corn tortillas

Directions:

1.  Heat corn oil in a cast iron skillet, not until boiling, but until the oil is showing some circular movement.  Test by gently placing in a bit of a corn tortilla and seeing if you can cook it until crisp on the inside and outside without burning it.  Trial and error my friends.

2.  Stack up some corn tortillas, cut into sixths, and fry in small batches, removing to paper towel covered plates.  Be sure to flip each little chip half way through cooking to make them nice and even.  If you are going to go for the salt, apply while they are still hot.  Try not to munch on too many before sharing!

Note: 

*  If you have a dog that loves to wait at your feet for any small scrap you may spill while cooking, keep that dog out of the kitchen with the hot oil on the stove.  Just in case.

Baked Butternut Squash Risotto

This recipe comes from the Complete Outdoor Living Cookbook that I recently re-found right on my very own cookbook shelf. And while I do have a decent little collection, it sure pales in comparison to my friend Mrs L! You go girl!

Naturally, this recipe is located in the Autumn Main Courses section. I love butternut squash, but others in the family don’t share my appreciation. With this dish, I figured everyone could just get the bits that they like … rice or squash or both. When all was said and done, this was a bit sweeter than I had imagined, and I was the only one who actually liked it. And you know what that means … more left overs for the cook!

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

3 TBS olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups Arborio or other short grain white rice

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup grated Parmesan or aged Asiago cheese

ground pepper

Directions:

1.  Place the broth in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Adjust the heat to maintain a low simmer.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.  In a large oven proof frying pan with a lid, warm the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the rice and squash and stir to coat with the oil.  Pour in the wine and stir until the liquid is absorbed.  Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and stir until it is absorbed.  Continue cooking, adding 1/2 cup broth at a time and stirring often until you have used and additional 1 1/2 cups broth.  Total cooking time from when you added the wine will be about 12 minutes.

3.  Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups broth and bring to a boil, stirring continually.  Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese.  Cover and bake the risotto in the oven until tender, about 20 minutes.  Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup cheese, let stand, partially covered, for 5 minutes.  Season to taste with pepper and serve immediately.

Notes:

* This was my first risotto and I found it very easy.

*  Do bother to use a decent parmesan cheese here and not that pre-grated stuff in a bag.

*  I didn’t bother to actually measure those 1/2 cup additions of broth, figuring that my ladle held about that much liquid.