Garden Bounty

We did a bit of tag-teaming in the kitchen, today.  We picked a bit of produce from the yard and had to think of ways to use it. I've had friends for years that have had CSA shares and have spoken about getting massive amounts of something in their boxes and being at a loss as to what to do.

We didn't exactly have massive amounts of anything - yet - but three eggplants is a lot for me.

07-25-16-produce

And there are more where those came from!

I have wanted to do a stuffed eggplant since the day we planted them, and tonight I got my wish. The other two became caponata.

07-25-16-caponata

5 pints went downstairs to join the if Trump gets elected we're screwed hoard. And one went into the 'fridge for snacking.

While I was stuffing eggplant and making caponata, Victor was making a baked pasta using the crookneck squash - another vegetable that is taking over out there. Thank goodness these are things we like!

07-25-16-baked-shells

The recipes all come from Lidia.

Baked Zucchini and Shells

Ingredients

  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 1 pound crookneck squash, sliced
  • One 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
  • 3/4 pound sheels
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 8 ounces shredded Fontina
  • 1 cup grated Grana Padano

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for pasta. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

2. Add the onion, and cook until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the squash, and cook until it begins to soften, another 5 minutes. Add the salt, then the crushed tomatoes with 1 cup water. Bring the sauce to a boil, and simmer just until it thickens, about 8 to 10 minutes, but don't let the squash begin to fall apart. Then toss in the chopped basil.

3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente, a few minutes shy of the package directions. Drain the pasta, and toss it in the skillet with the tomato sauce and basil.

4. Butter a 9-x-13-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, toss together the two cheeses. Spread half the pasta and sauce in the baking dish, and top with half the cheese. Layer the remaining pasta and sauce, then the remaining cheese.

5. Bake, uncovered, until browned and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

And the Caponata:

Sicilian Caponata

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs eggplant
  • 2-1/2 tsp salt
  • ½ cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 medium onions, peeled cut in 1-1/2 inch chunks
  • 2 cups celery, trimmed cut in 1-inch chunks
  • 1 cup cerignola or other large green brine-cured olives, pitted and cut in ½-inch pieces
  • 1 pound fresh plum tomatoes
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup small capers, drained
  • 10 large fresh basil leaves

Directions

Trim the eggplants and slice them (skin on) into chunks about 2-inches long and 1-inch thick. Toss the chunks with 2 teaspoons of salt and drain in a colander for 30 minutes to an hour. Rinse and pat them dry with paper towels.

Meanwhile pour the red wine vinegar and ½ cup water into the small pan, stir in the sugar and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half and syrupy, then remove from the heat.

Slice the onions into 1-1/2 pieces—you should have about 4 cups. Trim the celery stalks (and peel them if they’re tough and stringy) then chop in 1-inch chunks. Slice the plum tomatoes lengthwise into 1-inch thick wedges; scrape out the seeds and put the wedges in a sieve to drain off the juices. Roughly chop the pitted olives into ½-inch pieces.

To fry the eggplant, pour the cup of vegetable oil into the skillet and set over medium heat. Spread all the eggplant chunks in the hot oil and fry for 10 to 15 minutes, tossing and stirring frequently, until the eggplant is soft and cooked through and nicely browned on all sides. Turn off the heat, lift the chunks out of the oil with a slotted spoon and spread them on paper towels to drain. Discard the frying oil and wipe out the skillet.

Pour ¼ cup of the olive oil in the skillet and set it over medium heat. Stir in the onion and celery chunks, season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, tossing often, until they’ve wilted and lightly colored, 8 minutes or so. Toss in the olives and the capers, heat quickly until sizzling, then scatter in the tomatoes wedges and fold them in with the other vegetables. Season with another ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until the tomatoes are hot and softened but still holding their shape, about 5 minutes.

Spread the eggplant chunks on top of the onions and tomatoes, still over medium heat, and turn them in gently with a big spoon or spatula. When everything is sizzling, pour the vinegar syrup all over and stir it in. Cook a bit longer, then drizzle another couple tablespoons of olive oil over and stir in.

Cook the vegetables together for about 10 minutes, then turn off the heat. Tear the basil leaves into shreds and stir them into the caponata. Taste and adjust the seasonings; let cool to room temperature and serve.

And the stuffed eggplant.

Melanzane Ripiene alla Pugliese

Ingredients:

  • 6 small or 2 medium/large eggplants (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
  • 2 ripe medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup grated Grana Padano
  • 1 cup grated Itallian Fontina
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Halve the eggplants lengthwise. Scoop out any seeds, then scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/2 inch shell. Cut the eggplant flesh into small cubes. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season the inside of the eggplant shells with 1 teaspoon of salt., then brown them, cut side down, in the oil, about 2 minutes. Remove and place in an oiled baking dish, cut side up.

In the same skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the eggplant flesh and garlic. Once the eggplant has begun to wilt, add the tomatoes and crushed red pepper and cook until the eggplant is tender but the tomatoes retain their shape, about 5 minutes. Scrape the mixture into a bowl, stir in half the cheeses, parsley, and mint. Stuff the filling into the eggplant shells and sprinkle with the additional cheese. Cover with foil, and bake until the eggplant shells are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until the top is browned, about 10 to 15 minutes more.

I used one good-sized eggplant and just adjusted the filling ingredients. I also used one of the peppers from the garden in place of the red pepper flakes.

It was a great dinner and we have caponata downstairs for treats this winter - if they last that long!

 


Scallops, Pesto, Homemade Bread, and Blueberry Pound Cake

Nonna wasn't here for dinner tonight. That means we get to reach back into our creative minds and do some fun things she probably wouldn't like or be able to eat. Her tastes really are changing and while she's never been what one would call and adventurous eater, she's starting to dislike a lot of things she used to love. I kinda figure what the hell - she's 90 and can eat what she wants - but it does make cooking a bit of a challenge, at times.

So with her not here, we get to be a bit silly in our approach to dinner.

I had scallops thawing and went to La Cucina Italiana website for a bit of inspiration. The site is in Italian - I use the Google translate - and one of the first recipes I saw was for an appetizer with a halved scallop and a quail egg on a brioche toast. Earlier today, my sister who knows how much I love eggs on things had posted a picture of a sweet potato hash with a poached egg on top that she made. It had me drooling on my keyboard. When I saw the scallop and quail egg appetizer, I knew I had a great idea for dinner.

I made a loaf of Pepper and Cheese Bread this afternoon and knew a couple of thick slices of that toasted would sit in for the brioche. Whole scallops for halves, poached eggs for quail eggs, and dinner was set. Almost. I wanted something to take the toasted bread up a few notches... Victor's Pistachio Pesto was the clinching ingredient.

It was really simple. I sauteed the scallops in a bit of olive oil and butter, added a splash of white wine, a squeeze of lemon, and a pinch of salt & pepper. They went on top of the toasted bread I liberally spread with homemade pesto. The scallops went on the plate and the egg went on top. I chopped some pistachios for garnish but forgot to use them. Oh well.

The bread was a take on a recipe I've made before.

07-24-16-bread-1

Pepper Cheese Bread

  • 1 pkg active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1/3 cup cream
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
  • 1 or more hot peppers, minced
  • 1 egg

Mix yeast with water and cream to proof. In a stand mixer, add half the flour and begin to mix. Slowly add the grated cheese, the peppers, and the rest of the flour, mixing until it all holds together. Continue mixing for about 10 minutes or until a firm, smooth dough is made.

Form into a ball, rub a bowl with oil, coat dough, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise until doubled.

Punch down, turn out to counter, and form it into a loaf - round, long, or braided.

Place on a baking peel liberally coated with corn meal. Cover, and let rise until doubled.

Preheat oven with baking stone to 375ºF (190°C).

When dough has risen, brush with an egg. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until nicely browned and hollow-sounding when tapped.

Cool on wire rack.

07-24-16-bread-2

And just because, Victor made dessert - a Blueberry Pound Cake.

07-24-16-blueberry-pound-cake-2

Blueberry Pound Cake

  • 1 cup butter
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • pinch salt
  • pinch nutmeg
  • 1 cup sugar
  •  1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups blueberries
  • demerara sugar

Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).

Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Slowly add dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Stir in blueberries.

Spread into a standard loaf pan and sprinkle with demerara sugar.

Bake 55-65 minutes. Cool about 15 minutes in pan and then remove to cool completely on rack.

My stomach is smiling!


Tuna Steaks and Garden Bounty

Dinner was easy to pull together, tonight. The green bean salad was already made, the pesto was already made... all I had to do was boil water and put tuna on the grill. Both were pretty easy.

I chopped some lemon thyme, oregano, and parsley from the garden and rubbed it on the tuna with some olive oil. The pennette, I just tossed in a pot.

Nonna ate around the beans but loved the tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes are still one food she really enjoys. We'll see how she feels about them after the summer onslaught!


Sunday in the Kitchen

It's been a fun day in the kitchen. I made Mint Pepper Jelly and fried peppers, and Victor made Green Bean Salad, Walnut Pesto, and Pistachio Pesto. All before noon!

We can be industrious when we want to be.

If you have ever planted mint in your life, you know that it grows like a weed, is invasive, and you will never - ever - get rid of it. Knowing this the hard way, we have mint in containers where it can be contained. It still grows like crazy and there is no way we will ever be able to use it all - but I did take a stab at it, today.

We have spearmint and peppermint growing out back and I've been thinking about a mint jelly for a while. When Victor came in with a basket of peppers this morning, mint and pepper jelly became a reality.

It's a simple water bath recipe anyone can do at home without any special equipment. You really just need canning jars and a pot big enough to boil the filled jars. Pots and jars we have by the truckload, so I just jumped right in. You do want to have everything ready when the jelly is done, so make sure your jars are boiled, water is boiling in the canning pot and all that when the jelly is ready.

Mint and Pepper Jelly

  • 2 cups fresh mint, divided
  • 2 hot peppers
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1 pouch (3 oz) liquid pectin

Roughly chop mint and set 1/4 cup aside. Place remaining mint in pot with water and bring to a boil. Let boil rapidly for a couple of minutes, cover, remove from heat, and let steep about 30 minutes.

Drain well, squeezing leaves to get as much liquid as possible.

Finely mince peppers and remaining mint.

Add mint liquid, sugar, peppers, mint, apple cider vinegar, and lime juice to pot. Bring to a rolling boil and boil 3-5 minutes. Stir in pectin and boil another minute.

Pour into sterile jars and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

07-17-16-mint-jelly-4

When that was done, I started on the peppers.

This was the first batch coming out of the yard. There are so many peppers growing it is scary. We still have some canned from last year. I need to start eating them faster. In the meantime, these were just fried in olive oil and placed in the refrigerator.

They're good on anything.

07-17-16-peppers-3

I cleaned up and it was Victor's turn. He's the Pesto King so I let him have at it.

Basil is another weed growing out back. The more you use the more it grows. We have it in two different areas and both of them are approaching out of control. The answer, my friend, is pesto. Not just any ol' pesto, however... Victor made Pistachio Pesto and Walnut Pesto, today!

First the pistachio...

and then the walnut.

The recipe is the same for both of them - just switch out the nuts. And you can always just go with the traditional pine nuts, if you're so inclined. This isn't a chiseled-in-stone recipe. It's merely a guideline. You can add more or less of any ingredient, or make it smoother or chunkier. It's up to you. The only real rule for me is blanching the basil. It helps remove the bitterness and the unwanted licorice undertones - and it sets the vibrant green color!

Pesto

  • 4 cups basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup nuts - pine, pistachio, walnut, whatever
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup pecorino romano cheese - or parmesan or any good, hard Italian grating cheese
  • salt and pepper, as desired

Blanche the basil quickly in boiling water and then plunge into ice water. Remove and drain well. (A bit of water remaining is okay - it helps in the emulsification.)

Place nuts and garlic in blender and chop well with the olive oil. Add handfuls of drained basil and process. Add the grated cheese and process until you get your desired consistency.

Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as desired.

Place in container and add a thin layer of olive oil on top to keep it fresh.

And the Green Bean Salad...

This is another throw-together salad. Cherry tomatoes from the garden - the only tomatoes that have ripened, so far - mixed with the very last store-bought tomato of the season, sundried tomatoes in oil, blanched green beans, minced garlic, olives, a bit of grated cheese, salt, pepper, and good olive oil.

Absolutely delicious.

Dinner, tonight, is going to be grilled tuna steaks, pesto pasta, and green bean salad.

::burp::

 

 


Grilled Nectarines

One of the quickest and easiest desserts this time of year comes right off the grill - peaches and nectarines topped with anything and sprinkled with something. That simple.

Peaches and nectarines are actually the same fruit - one has fuzz and the other doesn't. It's a recessive vs dominant allele. The two can even grow on the same tree.

That being said, I usually lean towards peaches. Probably a childhood thing. As a kid, my grandparents' next-door neighbor, Mrs McNamee, had a peach tree that we would steal peaches from whenever we could. And grandma would make the best peach pies...

Mr. Brown, their neighbor on the other side grew watermelons. My brother and I stole his prize seed melon one day - not knowing it was his seed melon - just grabbing the biggest one in his yard to eat in our tree house. Damn, he was pissed. He knew it was us but couldn't prove it. Really pissed. And it totally sucked. All it was was seeds. We didn't even get to enjoy the damned thing.

We were pretty good watermelon thieves back in the day. Just a couple of blocks from my grandparents was a huge watermelon field that we would sneak into and grab melons. One summer - I was maybe 5 - the farmer came out with a shotgun. I was the last one over the fence and my legs were peppered with rock salt. I remember sitting in the bathtub crying as my grandmother held me in there to dissolve the salt. It hurt like hell. She was not amused - not that Farmer John had shot us, but that we were doing something we weren't supposed to be doing and she had to deal with our stupidity. Learning experience. Run faster.

But I digress...

I almost always buy peaches - I like that fuzzy skin, but I was sampling nectarines at work and they were so good I had to bring some home.

I mixed a bit of ricotta with some mascarpone, added a pinch of sugar and a bit of pistachio cream liqueur we made. Vanilla would work.

I cut the nectarines in half and placed them on the grill just long enough to heat through - less than 5 minutes. Ricotta mixture on top and chopped pistachios on top of that.

Instant Summer! And great memories of childhood freedom that kids today will never get to experience.

 


Summer Squash

Summertime. And if you have a garden, it usually means a plethora of squash. It's amazing the amount of produce one plant can produce, and after a while, getting creative takes on a whole new meaning.

The summer issue of Fine Cooking magazine just arrived and it had what it billed as "10 Sensational Summer Squash Recipes." Now... I don't think I'm going to run out and make their Mixed Squash Tacos any time soon, and a couple others weren't quite there, either, but the Smoky Seared Zucchini with Chorizo and Chickpeas sounded like a winner - and I had all the necessary ingredients!

As I was getting the chorizo out of the freezer, I espied a lone link of andouille. I grabbed it, instead. And instead of slicing everything in thin half-moons, I chunked them up a bit. The end result was pretty amazing!

Summer Squash with Andouille

  • 1 lb squash - all one type or mixed
  • 6 oz andouille sausage
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
  • S&P, to taste

Dice sausage. Fry in skillet until lightly browned. Remove from pan, leaving grease.

Roughly chop squash and add to skillet. Add 1/2 tsp smoked paprika and cook until squash is heated through.

Slightly smash chickpeas and add to skillet. Add the cooked andouille and a tablespoon of sherry vinegar.

Mix well and continue cooking until everything is heated through.

Check for seasoning and add S&P, as desired.

This really was a winner - and it was simple to prepare. The andouille added an excellent spiciness and the slightly-smashed chickpeas a nice creaminess. I'll definitely make this one, again. I may even follow the recipe, next time!


Gatò di Patate and Veggies from the Garden

Our friend George, in Sicily, has a lot of recipes on his website - very basic, simple Sicilian fare. It's the type of cooking that doesn't require a lot because the few ingredients used are quality. It's something we have lost with our factory farms and produce being shipped from six of the seven continents year-round.

We have whole generations, now, who will never get to experience the joy of eating those first ripe strawberries of the season. Or the anticipation of that first watermelon - and seeing how far you could spit the seeds. It's too bad... We have so much and take it all for granted.

While I have always been a farmer's market kinda guy - and do love exotic fruits and vegetables from around the world - I'm really really enjoying walking out into the back yard and picking vegetables for dinner. I know I've come late to the party - but at least I've shown up. It's proving that you're never too old to learn.

The first dish tonight, was George's Gatò di Patate. I thought the interesting thing about this is George says the gatò should be served cold! I served it hot right out of the oven and loved it. And, I imagine it would make a great cold side-dish. I'll taste the leftovers tomorrow and let you know my thoughts on it being served cold.

It takes a few pots and pans to get it all together, but it's definitely worth the effort!

I made it in a round casserole, but I think if I was to serve it cold I'd make it in a 9x13 pan. Cut in squares.

  • 1 kg of potatoes
  • 80 g of butter
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 2 egg whites
  • 80 g of salami
  • 80 g of cooked ham
  • 100 g of parmesan cheese
  • 250 g of provola and mozzarella cheese
  • salt & pepper
  • breadcrumbs
  • suet
  • parsley

Boil the potatoes, remove the peel and mash.

Add the butter, Parmesan cheese, egg yolks, the egg whites, crumbled salami and ham, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix everything well.

Grease with lard (suet) a saucepan, sprinkle the breadcrumbs and put between two layers of cream of potato the mozzarella into pieces and the provola cheese.

With a wooden spoon lined surface smooth. Bake at high heat and remove when golden.

The Gatò should be served cold.

The measurements are in metric because the whole entire world uses the metric system - except us. I remember 28 grams to the ounce from my cocaine-snorting days, so the conversions are pretty easy.

I used speck and pancetta in place of the salami and ham, and a blend of asiago, mozzarella, and fontina for the provolo and mozzarella. That's not a typo. The cheese he is using is a Sicilian cows milk cheese called provolo - not provolone. Use another Italian cheese - you're not going to find it locally.

Nonna cleaned her plate. She ate every single bit of it and commented on how much she liked it.

The squash came from the yard. Victor's never been a huge fan of the summer squashes - but he is now that we're growing our own! It really is a different product that the stuff you get in the store.

07-12-16-squash

All I did with this was saute a bit of onion in butter, add the cubed squash and let it cook a bit, toss in a chopped tomato, and some fresh basil, salt, and pepper. Quick, easy, and oh, so good!

That was the last purchased tomato of the season. We are about to get bombarded with them. The plan is to just gather them up and make sauce and can it - over and over until fall and no more tomatoes are left. Plus the normal tomato salad drizzled with our Sicilian olive oil.

The answer to the question will you still need me, will you still feed me when I'm sixty-four? is a resounding, YES.

I'm enjoying this!


Pesto Rolls and Rigatoni

I was in the mood for pasta, tonight and pasta, to me, means bread. You need something to sop up the sauce. My go-to breads are generally of the rustic-Italian style. I wanted something a bit different, tonight.

The weather outside is perfect for proofing dough, so I thought a basic white bread turned into pesto rolls would fit my need. Where my rustic Italian loaves are pretty much just flour, water, salt, and yeast, white bread needs a few more ingredients to make it lighter and more tender. Fat and sugar are the two ingredients used for tenderness - eggs and flour are for structure - so a bit of sugar and olive oil were used. I didn't think to take pictures of the dough when it first came out, or even when I formed them, but when I saw what the pan looked like after an hour outside, I grabbed the camera!

They were as good as they looked! Light and airy with a bit of a crusty crust.

This dough makes a really good loaf of sandwich bread and because there's no milk or eggs like many white breads, I'll be able to rework it at Thanksgiving for my great-nephew, Miles! I'm thinking maybe a savory pumpkin roll instead of the rolls I usually make. We shall see - we have a few months to work it out.

In the meantime, here's what I did...

Pesto Rolls

  • 1 cup lukewarm water
  • 1 pkg (2 1/2 tsp) active dry yeast
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 cups flour

Proof yeast in water with sugar.

With mixer on low, add flour and salt, and then drizzle in the oil. Mix with dough hook for about 6-8 minutes or until dough is smooth and silky. You don't want it sticky and you don't want it dry.

Oil top, cover, and let rise about an hour, until doubled.

Place dough on a lightly-floured surface and pat out with hands to a rectangle.

Spread with pesto and roll up from the long end. Slice into individual rolls and place close together on a oiled baking sheet. Cover and allow to proof again, until dounled.

Place in a preheated 350°F oven for about 30 minutes. Brush hot rolls with melted better, if desired.

Here's a simple pesto recipe. Blanching the basil really takes away a lot of the bitterness that some basil can have.

Pesto alla Genovese

  • 6 cups loosely packed basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2/3 cup pecorino romano cheese

Soak basil in a large bowl of cold water; let stand 5 minutes. Qquickly blanch and immediately plunge into ice water.Combine nuts and garlic in blender jar and add the olive oil. Purée until nuts are very finely chopped and mixture is creamy. Add salt.

Slowly add basil to blender and purée just to combine. Add cheese and purée just to combine.

Place in bowl and cover with a thin film of oil.

And then we had the pasta!

This was a clean-out-the-'fridge-and-freezer dish! I had a few sausages and a few meatballs in the freezer, and some olives, mushrooms, and roasted red peppers in the 'fridge. Everything went into the pot with a quart of Victor's homemade sauce.

Dinner was really good!

 


Fettuccine on the Fourth

While the rest of the country is out grilling and cooking hot dogs, we had homemade fettuccine and homemade pesto. We did our red, white, and blue stuff, yesterday. There's a real fine line between flag-waving and goose-stepping, in my not-so-humble opinion. We try and keep it to a minimum.

Homemade pasta and a sauce from items out of our own garden, on the other hand, are things we do try and do often. It's those left-leaning liberal priorities of ours. What can I say?!?

Speaking of left-leaning and liberal, we're getting our solar panels installed on the roof this coming Saturday. As if we weren't already the talk of the neighborhood. Pictures on Sunday!

But back to tonight's dinner...

Victor made his basic pasta dough - it's tried and true, no-fail every time.

Fresh Pasta

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp salt

Spoon 2 3/4 cups of the flour into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Beat the eggs, olive oil and salt together in a small bowl until blended. With the motor running, pour the egg mixture into the processor. Process until it forms a rough and slightly sticky dough. If the mixture is too dry, drizzle in a very small amount of warm water and continue processing. Scrape the dough out of the work bowl onto a lightly floured counter.

Knead the dough with the heels of your hands until it is smooth, silky and elastic – 5 to 10 minutes of constant kneading.

Flour the work surface and your hands lightly any time the dough begins to stick while you’re kneading.

Roll the dough into a smooth ball and place in a small bowl. Cover and let the dough rest at least an hour before rolling and shaping.

The pesto is totally eyeball. It's fresh basil, pine nuts, freshly grated parmesan, fresh garlic cloves, olive oil... The secret is to blanch the basil before chopping. Dip into boiling water and then wring it out, completely. No bitterness!

The final dish also had cauliflower from our garden that I canned a few weeks ago.

A great way to celebrate our independence from packaged food!

 


The Day Before The Holiday

The only thing better than a holiday is celebrating the day before while the weather is still good. And we had some great weather, today.

We headed all the way to Berwyn. We sucked it up, got Nonna into the car, checked the traffic report, and started our trek. Three miles, door-to-door. It's farther than my work commute, but we made it. Exhausted from our travels, we needed sustenance. And sustenance, we had!

I'll spare the chips and dips, cheeses, crackers, beer and liquor selection, and cut to the chase...

Ribs. Fall-off-the-bone tender ribs - cooked over coals the way barbecue was intended.

07-03-16-party-8

Little burgers - the perfect size considering everything else we were eating.

07-03-16-party-10

Salmon and salmon en croute, because every party needs salmon...

07-03-16-party-9

And the sides...

Quinoa and shredded jicama that I somehow missed getting a picture of, a patriotic cauliflower, blue potato, and tomato salad...

07-03-16-party-2

More potatoes, this time with peas, tomatoes, and onions...

07-03-16-party-5

Corn and black bean with avocado...

07-03-16-party-6

Deviled Eggs... Notice the red, white, and blue theme?!?

07-03-16-party-4

And the desserts... watermelon with blueberries...

07-03-16-party-3

Here's Miles devouring one...

07-03-16-party-13

Chocolate Chip Biscotti.

07-03-16-party-15

Blueberry Pound Cake.

07-03-16-party-14

Red, White, and Blue Rice Krispie Treats.

07-03-16-party-1

And a Patriotic Prosecco!

07-03-16-party-12

As is typical, we had way too much food and I am way-stuffed. It was a fun crowd, ranging from 94 year old Joann to 19 month old Stella. The weather was perfect for sitting outside and letting the kids run free. We left Blanche at home as the little kids are a bit intimidated by a dog bigger than they are. Stella, at 19 months, doesn't want to have a lot to do with most people or creatures, right now. She'll get over it. She doesn't have a lot of choice with this crowd.

Miles is still dealing with some food allergies, so I made the Rice Krispie Treats totally vegan and nut free. It was fun watching him dive into them. I didn't get a picture of that, though.

And it was fun just sitting around talking and laughing and not having to do anything but eat and drink.

And in just a couple of months we get to do it with my family in California!

Can't wait!!!

 

 

 

 

 


Fresh from the Garden

The farmers in the dell are at it, again! Today's haul is some squash - an accidental purchase at the seed store. I had looked at some green beans and grabbed what I thought was a little starter plant. My starter plant was actually crookneck squash. Meh. A vegetable is a vegetable, right?!? Well... it is when you're farmers in the dell. It really doesn't matter what's coming up out of the ground - we're going to find a fun way to consume it, no matter what it is.

Let's face it - this stuff is growing in spite of our lack of gardening experience, but what we lack in the growing end we make up for in the consuming end. The fun is seeing it and coming up with the recipe - very Iron Chef without the time clock. I really want to harvest a couple of squash blossoms at some point. I may not be the best gardener in the world but I know how to stuff a squash blossom with goat cheese and fresh herbs... lightly sauteed in a bit of olive oil...

But I digress...

Tonight was about showcasing the newest arrivals to the garden in a way that Nonna would eat it. She's not a squash fan, so I thought maybe mixing them in with some tortellini might sway her. She ate around them. Oh well. We both thought it was pretty darn good and cleaned our plates.

I just cut the squash and sauteed it in olive oil with red onion and garlic. I mixed in some fresh herbs from the garden - basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley - and then mixed in the cooked cheese tortellini.

Topped with slices of grilled chicken breast.

We have more than a couple eggplants growing right now, as well. I'm thinking I may have to can some caponata. That would be something fun to break out on Thanksgiving! Nonna no longer cares for eggplant, either. I'm envisioning a lot of dinners in the next few months with multiple components. Oh well. It is what it is. She will definitely go for the tomatoes. She's a tomato salad fan.

And there are lots of tomato plants out there. And peppers - lots and lots of different hot and sweet peppers.

This is fun stuff!