Salsa Me This

This is a quick one and provided by Amy's Garden at our favorite Farmer's Market, South of the James. They sell salsa baskets complete with onion, tomato varietals, peppers and garlic. We like to kick up the heat so they threw in a hotter pepper (wish I could remember the name of) that had a great finish that packed the heat but didn't leave you running for the milk jug. When I got home, I first diced the onion (small, white) and 3 cloves of garlic. The mixture went into a glass prep bowl and I doused it with a hit of Merlot, salt and pepper. Then I went to work on the tomatoes - chopping, slicing, dicing. I pulled it all together with about half a tbsp of cumin, salt and a generous helping of black pepper.

This one is easy and tasty but the best part is talking with the folks at Amy's Garden booth during the market. They are friendly and helpful and provided info on the produce and tips on the recipes. Definitely one to hit up next time you are in town.

Comforting Calzones

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Before the bake...

Fresh Lime-Basil Sorbet

I found this recipe a few weeks ago while I was doing some research on different varieties of basil.  One could say I am a little obsessed with the bright, versatile summer herb that can be used for anything from pizza to dessert.

Couple things to note on this recipe:

1. Delicious.

2. You must like lime.

3. You must love basil.

Here's the recipe I found and some of my modifications listed below (pics to follow shortly):

Fresh Lime-Basil Sorbet
1 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (8 to 10 limes)
1 cup water
1 cup simple sugar syrup (1 cup sugar plus 1 cup water, boiled then cooled)
12 whole basil leaves
1 egg white (optional)

Combine all ingredients, except egg white, into a freezer friendly container and freeze 6 to 8 hours or overnight.

Remove from freezer and allow to soften a little. Put chunks of frozen mixture into a food processor and process until all crystals have disappeared and mixture is smooth. Re-pack into container and keep frozen until needed. This will keep for up to 2 months. If you prefer a lighter, less icy sorbet, add 1 egg white during processing.  Yields 4 servings.
(Recipe from Herbal Gardens’ website)

In terms of ingredients, the only thing I modified was adding basil leaves to infuse the simple syrup (I pulled 8 leaves, gave them a quick chop and added to the water sugar mixture before it started to boil) .  Using equal parts sugar to water, I made a little extra syrup because I thought it would be a really tasty topper for fresh strawberries and vanilla ice cream and I wanted to try making a lemonade basil cocktail with it.  More to come on those...

My changes in process included using my handy-dandy Cuisinart Ice Cream and Sorbet maker because I am not a patient person and it helped to speed the process up significantly.  I froze the initial liquid for about 4 hours, transferred to the blender and processed with one egg white and then transferred it to the ice cream maker.  My machine takes about 20-25 minutes to get the sorbet to a good consistency and then it only took about 2 hours in the freezer to get to that right serving temp.  I also like the texture that's created while churning away in the machine.

One last note, I think the 'yields 4 servings' is an understatement.  I was able to pack my quart-sized ice cream freezer container to the brim with the quantities listed above.  Also, because the sorbet is so tart, it is best served as a tasting rather than a heaping  scoop which means you can get a lot more than 4 servings out of this recipe.

One thing is for sure, it is a delicious and refreshing way to kick off summer!

Polenta Fries with Basil Oil and Parmesan Dipping Sauce

The last time we were in Philly visiting friends, we made a pit stop between sports bars at a swanky little restaurant to get some tasty treats.  One of which came in the form of a french fry served with a fondue dipping sauce and a drizzle of basil oil.  It was probably one of the best small plates I've had so I decided to give it a try for Supper Club.  Still working with the premade polenta I bought last week, I sliced the brick into fry sized pieces and tossed them in olive oil, sea salt and cracked black pepper.  We baked them at a really high temp in the oven until they came out crispy and golden on the outside and still fluffy on the inside.  As a base, I made a parmesan dipping sauce that could be made ahead and warmed through on the stove at a later time.  Here's the fix:

Dice 1/4 white onion and saute in about a tbsp of olive oil.  Once the onions are cooked through, add 1/4 - 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup italian cheese blend, 1/4 cup shredded parmesan, cracked black pepper and 1 tsp nutmeg.  Whisk until the cheese is melted completely and the sauce is creamy.  Once at supper club, I transferred the mixture back to a sauce pan and warmed it through again on the stove top.  I started a bit too early so I ended up adding a few tbsps of white wine to loosen it up again.  I am convinced that wine only makes everything better, so I'll add that to the recipe moving forward. Delicious!

The basil oil couldn't have been easier.  I have globe and sweet basil in my garden so I gathered a few handfuls and blanched the leaves in a little salted water.   Once I patted them dry, I added the leaves to a food processor, blended and added oil until I felt I had the right consistency.  The blanching brings out the basil flavor and helps to retain that beautiful green color.

When we were about to serve the 'fries', I placed the glass container of basil oil in a sauce pan with about an inch of hot water to help steep the basil even more.  I left it on the stove for about 10 minutes to warm through.

Plate it up!  I smothered the parmesan sauce over a dinner plate and placed the fries directly on top of the fluffy, creamy goodness.  Topped it all off with a little drizzle of the oil and then I forgot my manners. I couldn't resist grabbing one immediately off the plate before everyone else was served.  Whoops!

And because we take supper club seriously, we had many more delectable delights.  I am hoping Alison will share her bbq sauce recipe...and Squints her gouda mashed potatoes and corn bread...or maybe we can just have another supper club, PRONTO!

Heart of Palm – a delicacy

I was just reading up on Heart of Palm and how it's harvested.  Things appear to be different today that even just a few years ago but I would say it's still a delicacy.  There is nothing else I can think of that matches it's texture and flavor and it's nutrient rich goodness.  This is a quick summer salad for lunch any day of the week:

1 can heart of palm

1 avocado

8 grape tomatoes

olive oil

red wine vinegar

basil

S & P

Toss it up and serve it cold!

Lime Chicken with Polenta Cakes and Salsa

I look for any excuse to use my new citrus juicer from C & B.  There is something really satisfying about squeezing every last drop of juicy goodness from a lime and this recipe gave me the opportunity, 3 times over.

Lime Chicken marinade (for 2 boneless chicken breasts):

1/2 cup Canola oil

Juice of 2 limes

1.5 tsp cumin

dash of cayenne pepper

1 clove garlic

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

I let it sit for 30 minutes before throwing on high heat on the grill.

Before I doused the chicken in the marinade, I separated a bit to brush on the polenta cakes (I just added a bit more canola oil to coat evenly).  I found pre-made polenta in the grocery store that you can slice into strips, the flavor and texture turned out surprisingly great.  The marinade was painted on and the strips tossed onto the grill for about 5 minutes on each side to get some good grill marks.

The final piece of this easy and quick meal was the homemade salsa.  I change my recipe every time I make it depending on what's in my fridge, pantry and garden.  Last night I used grape tomatoes (halved), 1 can of Rotel tomatoes with chilis, 1 can of mild chilis, 1/4 white onion (diced), 1/2 avocado, chopped chives, fresh cilantro, lime juice, cumin, hit of cayenne and cracked black pepper.

Um, yum.  Really.  Wanna make it again tonight.

Summer Veggies, compliments of f-ANNE-tastic!

We spent the weekend at my parent's house with my sister, brother, my brother's lady and, of course, my parents.  It's hard not to feel happy and content there, especially when they special order great summer weather complete with sunshine galore and one 'love to watch it roll in' summer thunderstorm.   It's even harder not to feel full when we are home, the Blue Ridge has a plentiful supply of homegrown veggies and herbs and yumminess.  We popped over to the Farmer's Market Saturday morning and ended up with zucchini, squash, green onions, eggplant, peppers and potatoes.  My sister brought her recipe for a vegetable marinade and we finished them off on the grill for a little extra flavor.  You have to check these out!

Marinade:

Olive oil

Balsamic Vinegar

White wine

Garlic

Fresh herbs- we used basil, thyme, green onion tops - some for the marinade and some to top the veggies when cooked.

S & P

Equal parts olive oil and vinegar with a splash of white wine.  Dice up the herbs and as much minced garlic as you like, salt and pepper to taste.

Slice up the vegetables but keep all the cuts fairly large so they can get plenty of surface area on the grill.  The potatoes should be boiled first to soften (don't cook all the way through).  The veggies should marinade for at least an hour but the longer the better.  When you put them on the grill, reserve the marinade at the bottom of the bowl to pour over the finished product.  Top with the remaining herbs and you are set!  The veggies and a few slices of specialty bread were plenty for the ladies but don't feel bad for the guys, we grilled some chicken that had soaked in an equally delicious marinade for the afternoon.

Marinade for grilled chicken breast with skin, bone-in:

Olive oil

Red wine vinegar

2 tbsp dijon mustard

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 tbsp dried thyme

2 bay leaves

Marinade for 2 hours in the fridge.  The chicken comes off the grill moist and flavorful (okay, okay, I had a bite).

Did I mention that I love summer?

Veggie Pesto

Non-traditional pesto has become one of my favorite go-to foods especially when trying to get in my daily 5.  Using veggies along with herbs, nuts, olive oil and good cheese, you can create a lot of different tasty combinations that are flavorful and healthy.  My favorite, as of late, is pea pesto and it whips up in a heartbeat so it's a great quick grab.  I blend it all using my Cuisinart hand blender with the processor attachment and I usually vary the ingredients each time.  However, here's one that is pretty standard:

1 can sweet young peas or 8 oz. frozen peas, thawed and rinsed

olive oil (about 2-3 tbsp)

walnuts (between 1/4 to 1/2 cup depending on how much crunch you like)

parmesan cheese (about 3-4 oz)

a few basil leaves to taste (optional)

1 garlic clove (optional)

salt & pepper

Blend away!  Once it's whipped up, I use it as a sandwich spread (this morning I made an egg salad using 1 hardboiled egg and a tbsp pesto), a dip with crudite, a pasta sauce, a salad topper and occasionally just a bite by itself.  I feel okay about that though...it's a veggie pesto after all!