Late-summer Bounty: Tomato, Prosciutto, and Ricotta Tart

Screw Christmas - right now is the most wonderful time of the year! Okay, that was a bit harsh, but I don't see how Christmas can even compete with the glory that is tomato season. Right now, just when you feel like the days should be cooling down but they're readily throwing their 90F temperatures in your face; when all you want to do is start wearing sweaters and roast things, but you can barely stand to cook it's so hot in your house? This is the best part of summer for me. Granted, summer is probably my least favorite season, even though many of my favorite vegetables and fruits are in season, and especially THIS part of summer, garden- and market-fresh tomatoes make it all worthwhile. I can stand the hotter-than-hot afternoons and evenings knowing that a wonderful meal is only a few juicy slices away. This is the time of year I yearn for my own vegetable garden so I could brave the heat only to come back to the kitchen with a basket full of goodies to whip up into a meal like this: Tomato, Prosciutto, and Ricotta Tart.

I'll readily admit that ricotta is my least favorite of all the cheeses. There's just something about the texture and flavor that I never really got on board with. Now, I have made my own ricotta (I did so a couple of years ago for my Ina Garten-themed birthday party, where all the food I made was from The Barefoot Contessa and I even dressed up as her, and one of the dips was a homemade herbed ricotta cheese - it's super easy to make) and it was slightly better; at least it was more milky/creamy than whatever store-bought ricotta tastes like. I figure with this dish I could easily overlook the ricotta for the almost 2 pounds of tomatoes, fresh herbs, prosciutto, and puff pastry. I've always been delighted with the recipes from Sunset magazine and this one is no different. The flavors came together to create this light, and deceptively filling, tart. The fresh juicy tomatoes, the lemony ricotta cheese, the splash of fresh herbs (I went ahead and used BOTH basil and mint for one of the most excellent flavor combinations I've recently encountered), the salty tang of prosciutto, all supported by the buttery crispy puff pastry made for a wonderful summer Sunday meal. While I did groan a bit at having to turn on my oven for this, I soon forgot the heat after I bit into this tart. This is the perfect meal to have for kicking back in your garden with a glass of wine. This is also a perfect appetizer or first-course for a garden dinner party, too! A great thing about this dish is that it's easily vegetarian-friendly. Simply eliminate the prosciutto and you've got a great appetizer (or meal) that'll please just about everyone.

Oh yeah and it made for the perfect individually packaged lunches!

A few things of note:

• Don't even try to adhere to the tart measurements in the recipe. The puff pastry I bought for this (Pepperidge Farms) is two square sheets. Honestly, once thawed and rolled out a bit, it's the perfect size for a party of 4 as meal (or 2 meals for 2 people). I tried piecing together trimmed bits and I was left with the trimmed bits coming apart in the baking process. So not worth the hassle!
• I used a full pound of ricotta cheese and I think it was a bit too much, but measuring out the 1-1/3C would've left me with too little cheese in the package to save. I think I'd go just with the half-pound next time. However, if you like ricotta use as much as you like!
• As I said above, I used both basil and mint, when the recipe called for either/or. I also didn't deal with trimming the "tiny" whole leaves and just chiffonaded both the basil and mint leaves. Believe me, having both makes for a much more complex and refreshing flavor! I also cut too much herbs, so I threw them in with the simple salad I served alongside the tart (mixed greens + arugula, tossed with olive oil and lemon juice).
• I also used a mix of large heirloom tomatoes and cherry tomatoes (the cherry tomatoes were from my coworker's garden - they were delicious!). I thinly sliced the big tomatoes and halved the cherry tomatoes, per the recipe, and it worked out wonderfully. The more colorful the better, really!

Bon appetit!

Best Salad Ever - Now with Shrimp!: Shrimp Club Salad

Remember a while back (you'll need to go a ways, considering the speed at which I post things...) when I made the best salad ever? Okay, well, if you a) can't remember, or b) don't feel like clicking the link I provided to you TAKE you to the "best salad ever", this was the BLT Salad. It was everything in a BLT, but in salad form. Creamy garlic dressing coating cool crisp romaine leaves, juicy sweet and tart cherry tomatoes, with crunchy salty bacon sprinkled throughout? That jogging your memory? What if I told you to add sweet, succulent shrimp to the mix? How would you feel about that? Well, I, for one, love the little buggers. Shrimp is on the top of my "favorite proteins" list. It's versatile, tender, and delicious. Ever since I was little, I loved shrimp in all its forms. Remember those shrimp burgers I posted about? Yum! Shrimp is delicious on its own, or dipped in tangy spicy cocktail sauce, mixed with vegetables in a stir-fry over rice, roasted, BBQ'ed, boiled in Cajun spice, I really could go on (much like my good friend, Bubba Blue). So, when I saw Martha Stewart's Everyday Food June issue boasting an entire section dedicated to shrimp, I snatched it from its check-out rack and threw it on the conveyor belt.

Martha's Shrimp Club Salad did not disappoint. Now I must state that this isn't just the BLT Salad with cooked shrimp thrown in, although it certainly contained all the same ingredients, but it was definitely different. A big difference is the dressing. It's creamier than the BLT Salad dressing and it doesn't contain any garlic. The thing about this salad is that the flavors in the bowl complement the shrimp. The big garlicky dressing from the BLT Salad would overpower the delicate pink pieces of meat (now, next to just the lettuce, tomato, and bacon: the garlicky deliciousness of that dressing adds to the flavor powerhouse; nothing is drowned out). Instead, the dressing for our Shrimp Club Salad is a simple mixture of mayo, chives and lemon juice. That's it and it's perfect. The dressing coats everything with this velvety and tangy goodness that brings out the sweetness of the shrimp, the saltiness of the bacon, the tang of the tomatoes. This is a great summer salad and perfect for those nights when it's just too damn hot to cook and too damn hot to go out. Okay, so you'll have to endure a little heat from cooking the shrimp and the bacon, but the final product will cool things down immediately. Serve with a crisp and fruity Savignon Blanc or perhaps a frosty Pilsner (or iced tea, if wine and beer aren't your thing) and you won't even notice the 100-degree weather outside!

The Meaty Manly Salad: Grilled Sausages with Figs and Mixed Greens

I say this as a woman and without fear of judgment...very rarely will I feel satisfied after eating a salad for a meal.  I usually require something else either on the side WITH my salad or in my salad (i.e. meat or legumes) to really feel full and satiated.  I know this is weird coming from a girl, because it seems all of us are quite OK with eating just a salad.  At least, that's what our movies tell us we order when we're on a date and looking to "keep our girlish figures".  Yes, I see the necessity of eating more vegetables and keeping our portions in check, but that doesn't automatically mean "must eat salad consisting of just lettuce for lunch and dinner".  Blech!  I don't know about you, but I like to eat.  When I'm on a date, or when I would go on dates, I never felt obligated to keep what I ordered in check.  This doesn't mean that I always ordered the surf n' turf on dates, but I would eat like I would normally eat:  burgers, pasta, chicken, steak, whatever I felt like.  If I am to show who I really am when I meet someone, I will eat normally.  I like food; I will show it!  Having said all of that, this is one of those rarest of rare times when I felt satisfied after eating what was essentially a salad.

During the grilling season, which in California is pretty much any time during the year as long as the grill area is covered, I love grilled Italian sausages.  One of my favorite Italian deli selections is a sausage and pepper sandwich, especially if the sausages are grilled.  There's something about the pork, fennel seed, and all the Italian seasonings licked with gas or grill flame that really makes me happy.  This particular salad marries a number of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors together and creates just a great meaty dinner salad.  The slices of warm and salty sausage mingle with the sweet figs, coupled with the crunch of the greens and the creaminess of the goat cheese just right.  Throughout each bite you get the cooling mint and the bite of the dressing, mixed in with all these other flavors.  You'd think this would be overwhelming, but it isn't.  It actually feels right and is perfect for a quick light meal and is great during the summer when you can grill freely and get some wonderfully fresh greens and herbs.

Bubba Blue Be Proud: Southern Shrimp Burgers

I'm not sure if I said it any time before this, but I'll say it again and again and again:  I love shrimp.  I will eat it cooked in any fashion, too:  boiled, broiled, grilled, sautéed, baked, stuffed - as long as it's is cooked, I'll eat it (not sure if raw shrimp, even for sushi, is OK).  One of  my favorite cooking magazines, Cooks Illustrated, came out with a Summer Grilling issue last year and I've found more than a handful of successful and delicious recipes in it, some of which made it onto my blog already.  One of those recipes was for Southern Shrimp Burgers.  Funny enough, I had never eaten a shrimp burger.  I've had tuna burgers, salmon burgers and crab cakes (which are kind of like burgers, right?), but never a burger made of shrimp.  The headline in the magazine stated "In most versions of this coastal classic, the shrimp flavor is all but buried beneath excessive amounts of binding and spices.  We wanted shrimp burgers that tasted like shrimp."  They certainly succeeded.

Making the shrimp burgers was similar to making any other kind of burger, although there is a little bit of binding, since shrimp tends to be wetter than most other proteins.  What's great is that the only binding is a slice of sandwich bread (I think we used sourdough, since that's what our home considers "sandwich bread").  The rest of the mixture includes fresh herbs, mild spices, mayo and shrimp:  the perfect combination of flavors to enhance and showcase the sweetness of the shrimp meat.  They held surprisingly well on the grill, which is where we cooked them.  You can easily cook these in a pan on the stove, if you're interested in having a summery light meal in the dead of winter.  The burgers were tender and juicy, sweet and delicious.  I would definitely make these again.

I served the shrimp burgers without buns.  I would think buns, or any kind of bread-like product, would totally ruin the freshness of the burger and weight the meal down.  They were perfect fork-and-knife burgers, although you didn't need a knife at all to cut through the burger.  I made a home-made tartar sauce for dipping.  A simple mixture of mayo, capers, and fresh chopped dill.  You can certainly buy tartar sauce from the store, but when it's this easy to make, why would you?  The picture in the magazine showed the burger alongside some fresh greens.  I remember making a Tuna Steak au Poivre a long time ago that had a bitter greens salad on the side, which was great.  I figured that kind of super light salad would be perfect and it was.

I hope you give these burgers a shot.  I highly recommend using fresh, unfrozen, shrimp if at all possible.  They really aren't expensive, comparatively speaking, and you get a MUCH better flavor.  Also, again if possible, buy as local as possible.  Unfortunately, for Californians, local shrimp comes from the Gulf of Mexico, which is definitely more local than Thailand or Vietnam.  Like with all fish, wild-caught is infinitely better, both in taste and nutritional value, than farmed (shrimp aren't supposed to eat corn).  I know that when I first started preparing raw fresh shrimp myself, the deveining was the most worrisome.  It is so easy, I can't even tell you:  take scissors (kitchen shears and desk scissors work equally well) and snip the shell along the back of the shrimp (not the side with the legs) stopping right before the tail (if you want a handle) or all the way through the tail (if you just want the meat).  The snipping allows you to peel the shell easily from the shrimp meat and will cut just enough of the flesh to expose the vein.  Under running cold water, clean out the groove you made with the scissors and you're done!  Your shrimp are now ready to cook and enjoy!

Light & Refreshing: Grilled Chile-Lime Salmon

I remember when I found this recipe.  I knew I wanted grilled salmon.  However, since my fish-cooking knowledge is rather limited, I wasn't sure how to season the salmon.  At the time, I had a handful of limes on-hand from another meal I had made recently and I didn't want them to go to waste.  When I searched for "grilled salmon" on epicurious.com (I love epicurious.com because they have all the recipes from pretty much all recent issues of Gourmet, RIP), it yielded a whole slough of different recipes and I couldn't really get into any of them.  I was definitely looking for a recipe which was simple and quick, but, of course, tasty.  One recipe stuck out above the rest:  grilled chile-lime arctic char.  I had had arctic char before and I remembered it was very similar to salmon; same fatty and pink fish with similar flavors.  It helped that the recipe included some substitution options at the bottom, including swapping out the arctic char with salmon.  Perfect!

One thing I look forward to during the summer is asparagus.  Yes, and lets get this out of the way to get our giggles out beforehand:  asparagus makes your pee smell.  In some ways, I find this reassuring that my body is working the way it should.  But yeah, depending on the asparagus, it can be rather embarrassing in mixed company.  However, when it's just Marshall and I - who cares?  So, Marshall and I made a trip to our local farmer's market and picked up some really awesome, super thin, asparagus - totally perfect for grilling.  I simply drizzled them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and they went on the grill until tender.  You'll also see a tiny pile of sautéed spinach on my photographed plate.  This did not appear on our plate with leftovers, but I had some baby spinach I bought for my sandwiches the week before and I wanted to use it before it went bad.  I really love sautéed greens.  The spinach went into a pan with olive oil and chopped garlic.


All in all, it was a satisfying and light meal, perfect for a hot summer evening!

Carbo-Loading (2 of 2): Penne with Chicken and Broccoli

During the week leading up to our triathlon, which was the first Sunday in May (yes, I know I'm behind...), I tried to come up with dishes with healthy carbohydrates and lean protein.  Marshall had something similar in mind and told me he was interested in some kind of pasta dish with chicken and maybe broccoli.  Well, he just named 3 of some of my very favorite things, so it was easy to come up with a dish that would definitely satisfy.  However, my history has demonstrated that I'm not the greatest when it comes to thinking up dishes.  My sister is actually really good at just throwing things in a pot and coming up with something really yummy; my mom is the same way.  I suppose it comes from experience, but I am much more comfortable going along with a recipe.  In any case, I took on the challenge and actually came up with a really tasty pasta dish that I will try to replicate again.  I wasn't taking notes when I was cooking (I was, and still am, a horrible note-taker), so I'll do my best to explain how I made this dish.

I went to the store and picked out the main ingredients:  chicken breast (2, boneless/skinless), broccoli (about 3 crowns), and a box of penne (yes, I realize I could've made an even healthier dish with whole wheat pasta, but part of me really loves that plain semolina pasta flavor).  I decided to pick up a lemon or two, thinking lemon goes great with chicken no matter what.  The rest of the ingredients I had at home:  red pepper flakes, Italian herb seasoning, and olive oil.  Oh yeah, you can't forget the cheese, but I always have cheese in the house.  The day I made this dish, I was working from home, so I took advantage of the extra time and decided to marinate the chicken.  I seasoned the chicken, which I had cut up into bite-sized pieces (about 1-2" big) with salt and pepper, then placed it in a tupperware container.  I liberally sprinkled the Italian herb seasoning (definitely the no-salt kind; I shouldn't have to tell you that) on top, then added some smashed garlic cloves.  Over-top I drizzled a liberally helping of olive oil and then took the juice of one lemon and poured that on for the final flourish.  I put on the top of the container, shook well, then placed in the fridge for about 45 minutes.  When it came to cooking the chicken, I took a very simple approach.  I heated up some olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, and added some more crushed garlic.  After about a minute, I sprinkled a healthy dose of red pepper flakes and cooked those a bit with the garlic.  Then I threw in the chicken with its juice, and cooked until opaque.  As I was prepping the broccoli, I noticed a jar in the back of our fridge.  A coworker of mine, had Marshall and I over for dinner a few weeks prior and gave us a jar of preserved Meyer lemons.  I had looked for a few recipes using it, but until then had not come up with anything to use these lemons.  Then I thought, "hmm, you know, these might work here...".  Preserved lemons have a much softer peel and Meyer lemons are known for their thin layer of pith and tender skin.  You can easily cut them up into small pieces and cook them and they're great to eat skin and all.  I did the same here:  I took a half of a preserved lemon, cut it into small pieces and threw them into the pan with the chicken.  You could replicate this flavor by adding some chopped pieces of peeled lemon or by simply sprinkling some lemon juice over the chicken while it cooks.  What came out was a delicious dish with a bright lemony flavor.  Plus, it had broccoli in it, which, in my book, is always a plus!

Lemony Chicken and Broccoli with Penne Pasta

Serves about 4

2 Boneless and Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into 1"-2" pieces

6 Cloves of Garlic, crushed and divided

1-1/2 Teaspoons of Italian Seasoning

1 Lemon, juiced

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

1-2 Teaspoons of Red Pepper Flakes (to taste)

1/2 Preserved Meyer Lemon, cut into small pieces (optional) -OR- 1/2 Lemon, juiced

2-3 Crowns of Broccoli, cut into florettes

1/2-3/4 Pounds of Penne Pasta (or any other shape pasta you like)

1.  Add the chicken, 3 cloves of crushed garlic, Italian seasoning, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a tupperware container or bowl, mix well, and cover.  Place in the fridge for about 30-45 minutes.

2.  Start a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the pasta.  Cook about three-quarters of the way (according to the package instructions) and add broccoli to the water.  Finish cooking pasta, in that time the broccoli should be adequately cooked, as well.  Drain well and set aside.

3.  Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add the remaining crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add red pepper flakes and sauté for an additional minute.  Add in the marinated chicken pieces, plus the marinade, into the pan and cook until opaque (roughly 10 minutes, if that). If using, add in the Meyer lemon pieces and heat through.

4.  Toss chicken with pasta and broccoli and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

bon appetit! 

A Light Meal: Zucchini Frittata

I would like to state up-front, that you'll have to forgive me for the photos.  I'm not that great behind the camera and sadly I didn't have my trusty side-kick husband to help take pictures.  This is also the reason why I don't have any preparation pictures.  In any case, let's get on with the show, shall we?

Last night called for a light meal of sorts.  Later this week we're planning on eating brisket, so I thought we'd even out things with something light to start:  Zucchini Frittata with Parmesan.  My mom made frittatas (the Italian version of the Spanish tortilla) all the time when I was little.  She used it as a way to get rid of leftover vegetables in the fridge or when she was pressed for time.  It's a great quick dish when you want something light, but substantial.  You can pretty much use any vegetable or meat you like in it, too, which makes for a very flexible dish.  The basics call for eggs and milk, it's up to the cook to fill in the rest.  Anything you'd put in a scramble, or omelette, or quiche would be just fine in a frittata.  The great thing is you don't have to worry about making a crust!  This particular frittata also gave me an excuse to try out our new mandoline slicer (an awesome wedding gift).  The mandoline made slicing up the zucchini very easy and allowed for uniform slice size and ultimately uniform cooking throughout. Obviously, you can easily chop and slice with a knife; you certainly don't need a special slicer.  Just remember to try and keep the slices as evenly as possible, otherwise you'll end up with possible soggy thin pieces next to hardly cooked thick ones.

This particular frittata turned out beautifully.  It was tasty and delicious and the green of the zucchini was beautiful next to the browned cheesy crust on top.  I paired it with a lovely green salad with carrots, celery, green onions, garlic-stuffed olives, and cherry tomatoes with bright sherry vinegar and olive oil.  The sharp acidity cut through the rich egg of the frittata.  I also had a glass of Tobin James Chardonnay, but that's neither here nor there (Marshall went for a New Belgium Mothership Wit, instead)!




Zucchini and Parmesan Frittata
(FYI:  The measurements here are merely estimates.  Like a lot of my everyday recipes, I don't measure out anything, except for the big ingredients.)
 
6 whole eggs
1/4-1/2 cup of half-and-half (you could easily use whole or whatever level of fat milk you prefer)
1 tsp dried tarragon
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg (fresh is best, if possible)
salt and pepper (to taste)
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
4 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1 Tbs olive oil (personally, I like to use half butter, half olive oil)

Preheat your broiler with rack in the upper-middle of the oven.  In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs and half-and-half.  Add in the tarragon (breaking up the leaves, if they're big), nutmeg, and salt and pepper.  Stir in about 3/4 of the grated cheese into the egg mixture, then fold in the zucchini slices.

Heat the olive oil in a non-stick (oven-safe) fry pan over medium heat (medium-high, if using a gas range).  Once the pan is well heated, add in the egg mixture.  Run a rubber spatula around the edges of the pan and lightly scrambling the egg in the middle (you want to keep the egg as flat in the pan as possible, but you don't want it to stick).  Shake the pan lightly every once in a while and once the mixture is set (not wobbling or liquid-like), sprinkle the rest of the grated parmesan cheese over the top and place under the broiler.  Bake for roughly 10-12 minutes, until the frittata is cooked through and the top is a golden brown.  Allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

This particular recipe serves 4 as a main dish (1 serving being a quarter of the whole firttata) and can serve many more as a side dish.  It can even be cut up into small appetizer-size servings, as well (my sister's dad makes these all the time for parties)

bon appetit!