Photo courtesy of Bryan Applegate

In the suburbs of Arlington, outside of a mall that has an As Seen on TV store, in an area which has nothing but fast food and chains like Panera Bread, stands a little spark of culinary magic, in the form of a lipstick-red food cart.

I think The Hogwarts School of Cheesecraft and Pizzadry opened a satellite location.

Pupatella, which is Italian slang for “doll,” is the brainchild of partners and former culinary students Anastasiya Laufenberg and Enzo Algarme.

I order a Neopolitan with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh basil, buffalo mozzarella and proscuitto. Anastasiya, a would-be Hermione Granger, deftly flattens out a piece of dough, spreads my desired toppings on it, and pops it into a tiny but powerful little oven, all in the time it takes to wave a wand.

Photo courtesy of Bryan Applegate

When it emerges, it is transformed into a piping hot, fragrant pie.  The scent of basil warms the crisp autumn air.  Atop a browned and blackened thin crust, sits creamy, melted buffalo mozzarella.  The subtle tomato sauce is like a veil, letting the prosciutto shine.  Instead of baking the paper-thin slices of bacon with the pie, they are gently laid across afterward.

Pupatella.  Prosciutto.  Pizza.  Pie.  Perfection.  At about ten inches, it’s the perfect gourmet lunch for one person.  A regular Margherita is $6, but with my buffalo mozzarella and proscuitto splurge, the bill came to $11.  I would gladly fork over the money again.  Too bad Pupatella’s only open Thursdays and Fridays…

A wonderful mixture of goat cheese and basil, this pasta dish is easily made and readily enjoyed!

5 oz. goat cheese (TJoes), crumbled
1 package crimini mushrooms, chopped (TJoes)
1 cup fresh basil, chopped (TJoes…so cheap for so much basil)
1 bag spinach
1 box whole wheat penne
7 slices apple-smoked bacon (TJoes), cooked and crumbled
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1 package grape tomatoes (I didn’t include this, but next time I will because it was definitely missing some tomatoes!)

First, boil water for pasta. Cook the bacon, whether you microwave it or cook it on the stove. When the bacon is finished, sautee the mushrooms in a little bit of olive oil until tender. (In the meantime, add the pasta to the boiling water and set a timer!) Chop the walnuts, basil, and tomatoes, and crumble the goat cheese. When the pasta is done, set aside about 1 cup of the water from the pasta before draining.

In a large bowl, combine pasta, spinach, basil, mushrooms, walnuts, tomatoes, and crumbled bacon. To make the sauce, crumble the goat cheese into the bowl, and add about 1/2 cup of the pasta water over top. This will melt the cheese into a sauce, and wilt the spinach in the mixture. Add water/goat cheese to your desired consistency and taste.

Enjoy!

.m

Salmon en croûte © dan & tuesy

This is a Jamie Oliver recipe from the BBC GoodFood magazine (December 2009). Elisabeth at work loaned me the magazine and it is filled with wonderful recipes including the florentines I made yesterday.

But I won’t talk about the florentines just yet. Maybe next post. So about the salmon en croûte, you’ll need big piece of salmon fillet. I am lucky that I live just a couple of minutes walk to the central market in Cardiff which has a fishmonger. I asked for a piece of fresh salmon fillet and they cut me a lovely piece.

Black olive tapenade on salmon fillet © dan & tuesy

You need:

• 500g all-butter puff pastry
• about 800g salmon fillet
• black olive tapenade paste
• bunch of fresh basil
• 2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
• 150g mozzarella cheese
• 1 large free-range egg
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Tools:

• rolling pin
• 2 large baking tray
• baking sheet
• pre-heated oven at 200˚C

Salmon en croûte © dan & tuesy

What to do:

1. Drizzle olive oil on the salmon fillet and sprinkle some freshly ground pepper and salt.
2. Flour a work surface and then roll out the puff pastry about the size of the large baking tray. Dust the large baking tray with flour then place the puff pastry on the baking tray.
3. Put the seasoned salmon fillet on top of the pastry, skin-side down.
   

   Working the pastry © dan & tuesy

4. Spread black olive tapenade on top of the salmon then the basil and tomatoes. Tear the mozarella into pieces and put it on top, too! Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
5. Gather the sides of the pastry. Beat an egg and brush the pastry with egg.
6. Put the baking tray at the bottom of the preheated oven. Put a baking tray on the shelf above so that the pastry is not getting too much heat.
7. Cook for about 35-40 minutes and then serve with vegetables. We like roasted baby potatoes, steamed brocolli, and peas.

More photos here.

Salmon en croûte © dan & tuesy

This past weekend, I decided to heat up the grill and make fresh fish kabobs before the weather starts to  cool.  For some reason, kabobs remind me of the summertime and BBQ’s on my parents back deck after a long day at the beach.

Well, this past weekend sure came close to the same flavors and tastes that I get when I’m grilling at the beach, however, a grill in Manhattan just simply isn’t the same.  But, I knew what I was getting myself into and sure enough these kabobs turned out perfect! I visited the Union Square Market on Saturday morning bright and early to ensure I had a nice selection of fish to choose from.  Sure enough, as I passed the fruits and veggies, the freshly picked flowers, the pumpkin pies and current scones, I stumbled upon my favorite fish guy–and what was on the special, might you ask? Swordfish. Perfect, I thought and went ahead to purchase myself a fabulous swordfish steak-yum.

I decided to make the kabob recipe off the top of my head and choose whatever fruits and veggies I stumbled upon at the market.  I breezed past a bunch of red bell peppers-check, shallots- o yes, oranges- so deliciously fresh, sweet potatoes- without a doubt and fresh basil- an ‘Amie’ must.

Not having skewers in my little Manhattan apartment, I set out on a mission to Chelsea Market and found a  set of skewers — just perfect for my fresh swordfish.  After traveling across the city in search of my kabob ingredients, I fired up the grill and had a mini kabob party: me, myself and the lil kabobs.  Not bad for a Saturday night, huh?

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. swordfish steaks
• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 Tbsp. grain mustard
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 lb. sweet potatoes
• 2 small oranges, sliced
• 1 tsp. agave nectar
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• Handful of fresh basil, finely chopped
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste
• Skewers

Directions

• Preheat grill.
• Cut swordfish into 1 inch cubes.
• Combine mustard, olive oil, shallot, agave nectar, sea salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar and basil; mix well.
• Coat swordfish cubes with mustard mixture.
• Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Cut sweet potato, red peppers, shallot and orange slices into ’skewer-friendly’ pieces.
• Thread fish, sweet potato, red bell peppers, orange wedges onto skewers.
• Place skewers on the grill over low heat; cook for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
• Baste fish and vegetables with marinade when skewers are turned.
• Enjoy!

To heighten the flavors of the vegetable soup I served at dinner last night, I made a simple pistou.  As I had mentioned in yesterday’s post, pistou hails from France and is used to flavor soups, typically a vegetable and bean soup.  You’ll also note that traditional pistou is no more than fresh basil, garlic and olive oil, ground down into a paste with a mortar and pestle.  It’s robust, but simple.  What could be more simple than 3 ingredients? 

In my recipe, I added Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese (also found in pesto) and of course, you’ll want to season with salt and pepper.  As a time saver, I used my food processor but I applaud those of you that plan to use a mortar and pestle.

Ingredients

1 cup fresh basil, packed

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Combine basil, garlic and cheese in bowl of a food processor.  Slowly add oil until paste forms.  Adjust oil consistency by adding more if needed.  Season with salt and pepper.

Whole Wheat Penne with Shrimp, Red Sauce, and Parmesan Cheese

Jamie says:  Grandma gave me a frying pan this summer.  It wasn’t just any frying pan, though.  It was her Italian Grandmother’s!  I keep thinking about what this pan has “seen” and been through.  Last night, I used it to make  a nice Sunday meal for Kathryn and me- shrimp with red sauce (canned tomato sauce, canned diced tomatoes, fresh garlic, and fresh basil from our little window-sill herb pot) served over whole wheat penne pasta and topped with shredded parmesan cheese.  My Grandma used to make pasta with red sauce every Sunday for her family (hence the name Sunday Sauce).  Kathryn and I really enjoyed our rendition of the meal.  It was a nice Sunday and the perfect end to the fun weekend.

ingredients:

for the dough:
300 ml tepid water
7g packet yeast
about 500 g of wholewheat flour
dried oregano
salt

Whisk together the water and the yeast until dissolved. Add the salt, whisk again. Add the oregano and the flour and knead until a doughy consistency. Set aside and let rise for 20 mins in a warm place. Knead again, and if dough is still sticky, add flour. Preheat oven to gas mark 4. Let rise for another 10-20 mins. Then roll the dough out onto a tray and prick all over with a fork.

for the sauce:
sieved tomato passata
fresh basil
dried oregano
crushed red chillies
salt
pepper
olive oil
agave nectar (or brown sugar)

toppings:
red onion
yellow pepper
green olives
courgette

Put all the sauce ingredients in a sauce pan and gently heat to release the flavours, then spread across the dough. After this, top with whatever takes your fancy!

In normal cases I would have olives and jalapenos and pepperoni on my pizza (back when we used to order in). My partner used to work in a pizza place and has an expert opinion on what a pizza should be like (and he hates olives and jalapenos =P!) – he always takes great pains to make sure all the toppings are evenly spread out, and so did I today. Now that I’m more health conscious, I thought I would try to find an alternative. Cheese is the obvious culprit in a normal pizza, and you’ll see I left that out. If you really can’t face a cheese-less pizza, do use cheese, but remember that it will raise the total number of calories significantly, and even without cheese the above recipe comes in at a sizable 500 calories a serving (2 slices for 4 people). All the pizza dough recipes I’ve tried in the past have had a lot of oil – I skipped that this time (based on a recipe from How it All Vegan! - which, of course, explains the lack of cheese). In fact, this is what Tanya and Sarah have to say about it:

Pizza doesn’t have to be about 4 different kinds of cheese or meat. In fact, your pizza doesn’t even need cheese or meat at all! The combination possibilites are endless. Here are some of our favourites:

tomato sauce, mushrooms, olives, spinach, soy cheese
tomato sauce, artichoke hearts, garlic cloves, soy cheese
tomato pesto sauce, red onion, pine nuts, soy cheese
tomato sauce, sun dried tomatoes, fresh herbs, soy cheese
pesto sauce, red yellow, and green peppers, garlic, fresh herbs
tomato sauce, red onions, blck olvies, capers, marjoram

The last few weeks have seen many days hitting above 80F and humid. These two things mixed with a long day at work usually means that Amie fends for herself with what ever quick thing she can throw together without needing to turn on the stove.

Last Saturday, however, I ventured to the local Farmer’s Market and picked up some gorgeous tomatoes, a bunch of basil and a tonne of cucumbers. There was also a place up the road that sold fresh cheese so I stopped and picked up some mozzarella, figuring on a basic salad for dinner.

This is my take on a classic Italian salad, only leaving out the day old bread in order to make it gluten free. I sprinkled it with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sea salt.

To accompany this lovely plate my husband had picked up some rib eye steaks, which we marinated in a “Jamaican” style marinade before putting them on the grill.

Jamaican Style Marinade for Beef or Chicken
1/3 cup oil
juice of 1 large orange
juice of 1 lime
3 large cloves of garlic, diced
1 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground clove
1 tsp lime zest
1 tsp orange zest
pinch of red chili powder

Mix well in a bowl and pour over meat. Keep in fridge for 2-3 hours before grilling.

Junior year of college, I lived with five other girls.  At Christmas we hung up stockings, complete with nicknames given to us by the others (If you think that’s silly, you should have seen the pink plastic Christmas tree).  My nickname? “Calories.”  Thanks, ladies, you know me well.

Although some of the recipes I post on this site might lead you to believe otherwise, I am obsessed with calories.  Every day I keep track of what I eat (The Daily Plate at Livestrong.com is a wonderful tool!), more out of habit now than anything else.  For every meal, I count and measure and portion, and it’s great fun, really.

Long story short, this recipe is a great lunch I made the other day, so the measurements are for one person.  I’m sure you can do the math to make it for more!

Oh, and in case you were wondering, one serving has 320 calories.

P.S. This recipe has only three steps, and all you really have to do is boil and mix.  Easy-peasey, as the kids I nanny for say.

Bow Ties with Soft Goat Cheese, Walnuts, and Basil
serves 1, but you can do the math!

2 oz. Barilla Pasta Plus Farfalle (bow ties!)
1/8 c walnuts
1 Tablespoon spreadable goat cheese (I used Chavire)
Fresh Basil, Julienned – to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Cook pasta in well-salted water, according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, chop walnuts into desired size – my pieces were pea-sized. (In hindsight, I might toast these next time – throw them in a pan with a dab of oil until they get a little more golden).
3. Drain pasta, then mix with remaining ingredients.  Serve hot or cold – yum!

Laura note:  This recipe does not work well if you plan on, say, making it beforehand and then taking it to work for lunch.  The goat cheese is so soft that the pasta absorbs it, which was a huge bummer for me.  If you want to take this meal for lunch, use a harder goat cheese (still soft, but not spreadable), and add a tablespoon or so of cooking water to make it saucy.  I have done this in the past and it works great!

Whenever I get fresh basil I tend to use it with sliced buffalo mozzarella and vine-ripened tomatoes (because that combination just never gets old).  But when my neighbor brought over a bundle of basil from her garden, I wanted to try something completely different with it with ingredients I already had at home.

Lemon Basil Walnut Vinaigrette

I used this as a marinade in which I baked fillets of white fish, but this could be used just as easily as a homemade salad dressing.  The walnuts are processed down finely, so while they aren’t crunchy in the vinaigrette, the oils in the nuts help to emulsify the dressing and give it a thicker, creamier consistency.  This recipe makes just under 1/2 cup of dressing.

• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup of lemon juice)
• 1/4 cup packed basil leaves
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor (or blender) and process until everything is finely ground and the vinaigrette is smooth.  Jar and refrigerate this vinaigrette to use as a salad topper, or pour it in a baking pan with fresh fish fillets for 15-30 minutes and then bake the fish with the sauce until opaque and flaky.  

I’m always looking for new ways to cook fish and this was a snap to bring together.  It is a bright vinaigrette with full citrus and herb flavors that will go well with any seafood or poured over the top of your favorite summer salad.  Enjoy…

I’ve never been a pasta salad fan, and when I think about it I think pasta and funky vegetables all covered in a thick mayo dressing…the last thing I want on a hot day is a bunch of fat weighing me down! This salad is different.  It is fairly light (it is still pasta and cheese, but no heavy dressing!), and served cool or at room temperature, and I find it to be very refreshing alongside something hot off the grill.  It is also perfect for a light dinner on an evening in the park.

This tortellini salad has been a favorite of mine my whole life.  The recipe is my mom’s, and I remember it from countless picnics and school lunches.  It’s always a hit and it’s very easy to throw together.  I made it for the Fourth of July, and everyone enjoyed it!

Tortellini Salad
serves 8-10 or so

1 large package cheese tortellini (We have always used Buitoni.)
8 oz. mozzarella
1 package grape tomatoes
1/4 c fresh basil, julienned; or alternatively, dried oregano and basil to your liking
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions.
2. In the meantime, slice tomatoes in half lengthwise and cube mozzarella.

3. When pasta is done, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Shake to dry, then transfer to serving bowl.

4. Add prepared tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, and gently toss to mix.  drizzle with enough olive oil to coat pasta, and add balsamic in to your liking – maybe 4 tablespoons olive oil and 3 tablespoons of balsamic.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste, and mix gently.  Chill in your refrigerator.  Serve cold or at room temperature.

This recipe is great to make ahead because the longer it sits, the more the flavors combine.  It also would probably be delicious with cubed salami as well, although I have never tried a meat version.

4th of July Deliciousness

There are few things I hate more than wasting food so before I left town Thursday I made sure to use up at least the majority of the perishables I had in the house. I had an abundance of CSA tomatoes and cucumbers so I decided to make one of my favorite simple salads. It took less than five minutes to prepare and I had enough for a free airplane dinner and even gave a Gladware full to the friend who drove me to the airport. Plus I got to use some of the basil I have growing on the balcony.

Recipe after the jump.

Ingredients
2 large tomatoes
1 large or a few small cucumbers
1 large, white onion
Balsamic vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
A few leaves of fresh basil

Directions
Chop the tomatoes, onion and cucumbers into approximately quarter-inch pieces. I like to leave the skin on my cucumbers but you can peel them if you prefer. Toss in a large mixing bowl with a few tables spoons of balsamic vinegar, about the same amount of olive oil (maybe a little less) and salt and pepper to taste. I like to add a pinch of cayenne to mine but feel free to leave it out. Mince or tear up a few leaves of fresh basil and toss well.

This salad tastes best after its refrigerated for at least an hour but can be eaten right away. Enjoy it on its own or with chips or crackers.

Originally posted at FiftyBucksaWeek.com

Local tomatoes that were seedlings under grow lights early last spring are coming in now at the Bluebird Market.  The “miles traveled” are from Main Street to Barnesville Street.  Bluebird Market is so excited to Welcome the Verseman family with their organic practices tomatoes including Roma’s and Grape Tomatoes.  You will want to try these sweet fresh tomatoes grown in a Main Street Veggie Garden and brought to you picked fresh in the morning.

Tomatoes grown with organic practices within walking distance of the Bluebird Market.You will want to be one of the ones that tastes these local tomatoes from Bluebird Market.We will have fresh basil this week from the community garden to bring these Versemann tomatoes an Italian garden flavor.

One of the classic family stories that I’ve heard a million times but don’t remember is this: Little Laura, maybe three or four years old, is asked if she wants some squash at dinner time.  I replied, “Yes, please, but I’d like it whole, not squashed.”  SO cute, right?!  It makes me smile every time.

Not only do I love un-squashed squash,  I love interesting ingredients (like fava beans).  Last week at Gisuppe’s in San Luis Obispo, we ordered the fried zucchini flower appetizer, and after that I knew I was ready to create my own.  Luckily, this past Thursday at SLO Farmer’s Market, I found some for sale and bought a basket – they cost something like $2, and there were probably 10 in the basket, though some were too small to stuff.  I knew I wanted mine to involve mozzarella, and I knew I didn’t want to fry them…so this is what I came up with.  Tomato Basil Mozzarella Stuffed Baked Squash Flowers.  Oh my goodness.
Click for more pretty photos!

Important note: Squash flowers are best used on the same day of your purchase.  I did not know this, and went to use mine three days later.  They were wilted, which made them harder to work with and not as pretty (but still delicious!).  Now I know!

Baked Stuffed Squash Flowers
These work as an appetizer or a main course.

8 squash flowers
2 ounces mozzarella, cut into very small cubes
3 tablespoons chopped, oven-dried tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh basil, julienned
Olive oil for drizzling

Note: I would imagine that the quantity of these ingredients would be larger for flowers that are not wilted, so if you try this take a look and see how much stuffing you think you can fit in.  Mozzarella and tomatoes are easy to cut up, so it’s not a huge deal to make more stuffing, either.

1. Combine mozzarella, tomato, and basil in a bowl.
2. Carefully open flower and gently snap off the stamen (where the pollen would be).  If the flower is attached to a squash, slice the squash but leave it attached to the flower – it will look somewhat fanned-out.  These baby squash are delicious, don’t throw them out!!

3. Gently fill flowers with mozzarella mixture.  You can use your hands or a spoon.  Twist the tops of the flowers to close.
4. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake in a 400F oven for 15-20 minutes.  Let cool for a few minutes, then enjoy!

Today has been blah. I woke up this morning and was instantly put in a bad mood because my stomach hurt REALLY bad, my knee was still swollen, and on top of it all, I thought I had gotten poison ivy from Isaac. Later I found out that despite what I’ve believed all my life poison ivy isn’t actually contagious and his itchy spots aren’t actually poison ivy anyhow…. it’s gross and I don’t want to talk about it.

In other bad news my stomach never stopped hurting, I had chills all day and THAT feeling you get right before your going to get sick kept reoccurring, but I didn’t actually ever toss my cookies (I don’t really use this term but I thought it would be funny, am I  right?) Things still weren’t good in the bathroom though (I’ll leave it at that). I don’t know what could be the reason- I didn’t really eat anything out of ordinary and I don’t really feel sick otherwise. But eating was sparse today because I didn’t have much of an appetite.

Around 8 I ended up really wanting something for dinner so I made some spring rolls with shrimp.

Each rice paper wrap has 2 shrimp, rice noddles, carrots, avocado, fresh basil, and romaine tucked inside. The fresh basil made the wrap! I know the sauce in the blue bowl looks like dirty water, but really it was tamari and better n pb mixed together for a dipping sauce. I love spring rolls – I usually have everything on hand, because you can seriously throw anything into these wraps and they’re so quick and easy. I should totally make them more often. (mental note to self).

Sorry this post is such a downer… it’s basically my day in a rotten nutshell. Although, the spring rolls turned out excellently so there were some unrotten nuts in the mix.

Hopefully my next post will be chipper!!

Going off of the theme of saving time (see my last post on grocery shopping/meal planning) and yes, unpacking just a few more moving boxes, I was thinking of what would be a simple dish to prepare, is relatively inexpensive, something the kids will eat (this is key) and is freezable:  I came up with tomato-basil sauce.

Now, I am half sicilian and I definatley don’t want to get any “nasty-grams” from full Italians on this one, but I am going to call my sauce tomato-basil because of the addition of fresh basil leaves.  Typically, if I make it’s close relative “marinara sauce,” I leave out the fresh basil and just focus on the tomatoes, garlic, parsley and salt/pepper.  I also add in a battuto, which is Italian meaning “to beat,” however, for sauce purposes it translates into mincing the ingredients.  The battuto for my marinara is minced celery, carrot and onion.

Tonight I also threw together parmesan cheese toasts.  These are perfect for using up left-over French bread from a day or two ago.  Just heat your oven to 350 degrees.  Slice French bread 1-inch thick.  Slather softened unsalted butter onto each slice.  Sprinkle with fresh grated Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese.  Toast on baking sheet in oven until edges of bread are light, golden brown.   You could choose to make these into garlic-cheese toasts with a sprinkle of garlic powder from your spice cabinet. 

Recipe for Tomato-Basil Sauce follows below the photos.

Tomato-Basil Sauce

Ingredients

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1/2 tsp sugar (you can certainly leave this out)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 basil leaves, chopped

2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped

Method

Heat a olive oil in large saute pan over medium heat.  When oil is ready add onions and stir until they are soft (about 3-4 minutes).  Add garlic and stir constantly until soft (about 1-2 minutes), being careful not to burn or it will become bitter.  Add crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper and sugar (if using) and stir.  Lower heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes.  Stir in chopped basil and parsley.  Taste sauce again.  Adjust seasonings if needed. 

Yield:  3 cups

Note:  Most personal chefs are experts at freezing the items they prepare for their clients.  Sauces, especially those that are tomato-based are easy to freeze at home.  Simply cool the sauce using an ice-water bath (stirring constantly will help to speed the process) .  Transfer the sauce into freezer safe containers and label with the contents and date.  I generally recommend using a frozen sauce within three months of preparation.  You can divide this sauce into 3 containers with 1 cup each.  To defrost, place container into refrigerator and defrost overnight.

Time-Saving Note:  Tomato-Basil Sauce is terrific over pasta of course, but you can use it to top chicken breasts, mix in sauteed vegetables for a variation, or add some of the sauce into broth to flavor soups.

Eggplant Rollitini from Veganomicon

I’ve been eyeing this Rollitini in Veganomican for quite awhile. The writers make it sound very difficult, but it’s really not. If you get all the steps going in order, you can have the whole thing completed in about an hour. The key is to slice the eggplant very thinly. While the have you cut-off the sides (to avoid more of the peel), I say peel the eggplant and use the whole thing! Note the vegan Parmesan – called “Almandsan” in Veganomicon. Made of crushed almonds, toasted sesame seeds, lemon zest and garlic, it adds texture and a pleasing flavor to vegan Italian dishes.

Rolled, pre-sauce

The most amazing part about this recipe, I think, is the tofu ricotta. It was so easy to make, and really, I couldn’t tell the difference at all. Success! Here are the eggplant slices fried, stuffed with spinach and “ricotta” and rolled up. I added extra breadcrumbs on top, for added textures.

Rollitini - smothered in sauce

I made this with a basic marinara sauce, but added aged Greek olives and about a half a cup of red wine. I tend to like my food smothered in sauce, so that’s the way I make it.

goat cheese and fresh tomato basil Bruchetta

On the side, I served some bruchetta I made with a delicious seeded baguette from Metropolitan Bakery, spreadable goat cheese, and just a quick tapenade of tomatoes, fresh and ripe from Iovine’s that day, fresh basil, a bit of herbed olive oil, and some salt. Scrumptious.

I’ve come up with  little delicious alternative to the standard tomato-fresh mozzarella-basil panini or french baguette. Instead, I made mine avoiding the mealy, flavorless, less than worth the coin vine-ripe tomatoes for the always fresh in winter, juicy grape ones, cut up thin, lengthwise. What’s more, I used this delicious mozzarella made fresh in Bennington, Vt., which made all the difference to the mass-produced brands.

Instead of the harshness of straight basil leaves in the sandwich, I rubbed the toast (yes, toast! honey toast! so delicious!) with the fresh basil leaves so they were “scented” of basil but didn’t drown out the taste of the salty tomatoes or mozzy. And for crunch, I included Boston lettuce–and I think it’s the lettuce that really changed this sandwich. It was crisp and cold and more filling that way, since lettuce is a nice filler. I finished the entire sandwich up with a balsamic-extra virgin olive oil drizzle, just spitting enough that it would require an umbrella, say. If I do declare myself, twas perfection.

How do you make fresh mozzy sandwiches? Any alternatives out there?

Good morning everyone, hope you are all have a good day. We all have so much going on in our lives, with our jobs, our relationships, our family, our health, our finances, and our selves. Have you ever gotten the feeling that you just don’t have enough time in the day? When all is not peaceful in your home and you just can’t concentrate? Ever wish that you and/or your family would just stop arguing? Here is a spell that can help you.

First buy yourself a new broom & get rid of any old ones, Use this new broom to sweep the floor of any negative energy hanging around. The broom MUST be new to bring in positive new experiences.

Next either grow fresh basil in your garden or around the house. Or you can place pots of fresh basil in your doorway & around the perimeter of your home. If you can’t do either of these place some fresh basil in a vase in your kitchen somewhere that everyone can see it. Be sure to replace it weekly when it starts to spoil.

The basil will draw joy, harmony, tranquility, cooperation and peace into your home. Remember that everyone in your household must have the right & matching energy and focus to desire a happy home.

This spell will also attract financial abundance, since basil is also a herb used for positive abundance. This spell works best if you are just moving into a home but can be done at anytime.

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This recipe is based on one from the one of the Woman’s Weekly series of Cookbooks. From memory I think it was an 1980’s one called Dinner Parties, something like that.

Let me tell you, this chicken dish is as delicious now as it was was then. Don’t let my awful photo of the half-eaten meal put you off – try this one. A big plus for this recipe is that you prepare it early in the day, put it in the fridge and bake it when you’re ready. Oh, how I love things that take the strain off making meals Of course, the basil sauce needs to be made just before serving but that only takes minutes.

Whole chicken breasts are brushed with a mixture of melted butter, garlic and Worcestershire sauce, covered with a scrummy crumb topping, baked in the oven and served with fresh basil, olive oil, garlic and egg yolk sauce – a bit like a hollandaise.

This recipe is adaptable too, make it for 2 people or make it for 20. Too easy!

On this occasion I used 6 whole chicken breasts.

MAKE THE CRUMB TOPPING

• 2 cups of fresh bread crumbs – I just whizzed up some slices in the blender
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 crushed cloves of garlic
• the very finely grated zest of 2 lemons
• 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
• 1/2 a finely chopped onion
• 1/3 of a cup Parmesan ( or similiar) cheese
• 100g finely chopped pancetta, prosciutto or bacon ( these of course can be omitted or substituted with halal or kosher products)

Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onion, garlic and pancetta (or whatever you’re using). Mix this up with all the other ingredients and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add 3 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce and a crushed clove of garlic.

Lay your chicken breasts out in a single layer in a greased baking dish.

Brush with the melted butter mixture.

Press the crumb topping onto each chicken breast.

At this stage you can cover it and put it into the fridge until you’re ready.

Pre-heat the oven to 180C and bake the chicken for about 40-50 minutes. I usually cover it for the first 30 minutes then take off the foil, drain off most of the liquid and then bake it uncovered for a while to crisp up the crumb topping a bit.

About 10 minutes before you’re ready to serve up make the basil sauce.

In a small saucepan combine 1 cup of chopped fresh basil ( measure it before you chop it), 1/3 of a cup of olive oil and 1/4 of a cup of white vinegar.

Now whisk in 2 egg yolks.

Put it on a gentle heat and slowly heat it up, slowly, slowly does it here, whisking all the time. The sauce must not boil or the egg will curdle and go funny.

Keep taking it off the stove and putting it back on if you get worried. You want it just below boiling point.

The sauce will thicken slightly.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This sauce can be poured over the chicken before it’s served (this is what I do) or served seperately for people to add themselves.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Any questions? Please do not hesitate to ask

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