by Kathy Douglas | Aug 9, 2016 | Appetizers
These three garden beauties are made with fresh kale, oregano & basil, and walnut & parsley. Pesto sauces are perfect for a simple dinner on a hot summer day or a quick snack. You can make the sauce quickly right before your meal or prepare ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator. Before dinner, set your pesto out to come to room temperature while cooking 16 oz. of pasta. Toss the pasta and pesto with 1/4-1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water to create a pasta sauce. Or as a snack, just toast some bread and serve your pesto as a dipping sauce.
Below are three lists of ingredients. The instructions appear after the ingredients and are the same for all three. Start by toasting the nuts in the oven – at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Watch the last couple minutes very carefully so they don’t burn. Follow the same directions for all three pesto sauces listed below the ingredients.
INGREDIENTS
Spicy Kale Pesto
4 cups chopped kale
3/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 Tablespoons toasted pepitas
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
Oregano & Basil Pesto
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 cup oregano leaves
1 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Walnut Pesto
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
2 garlic cloves chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup parsley leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Place all ingredients into a blender container or food processor in the order listed and secure top. Process, stopping if necessary to scrape down the sides or press the ingredients into the blades. Pulse until you have the consistency you want. If your pesto is too thick, drizzle in a little olive oil, one tablespoon at a time until you reaches the desired consistency.
by Kathy Douglas | Aug 2, 2016 | Appetizers
This combination of fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil is the taste of summer. While our tart is perfectly suited for any tomatoes; it’s even better if you can get farm fresh. For our crust, we prefer frozen Dufour Puff Pastry for its flavor and the size. Thaw your crust in the refrigerator overnight, then unwrap, and slide it right into an 8 x12 tart pan. Simply fold the over-lapping dough to form a crust. If you don’t have a pan this size you can use any similar size. Simply sprinkle the puff pastry with flour and rolling it out to fit.
INGREDIENTS
14 oz box Dufours frozen puff pastry, thawed in the refrigerator
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 pounds multicolored Heirloom tomatoes, 4-5 medium, cored, thinly sliced and cut in half
Kosher Salt
1- 8 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese ball, sliced thin and cut in half
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon Fresh ground pepper
fresh
Small basil leaves, or large leaves torn for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Put a baking sheet in the oven to heat it. Roll out the puff pastry and ease it into an 8″ x 12″ rectangular tart pan using the leftover to make a crust. Using a fork, uniformly poke holes all over the center of the pastry excluding the crust. Using a pastry brush, apply the beaten egg inside the pan. Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over the egg. Place in the oven on the preheated baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees; continue to bake until golden brown and crisp, 15 minutes longer. Remove from the oven. If your dough rises in the center, while it is still hot poke it several times with a sharp knife to release the steam and it will flatten out. Leave the oven on and cool the dough slightly.
While shell bakes, place a double layer of paper towels and sprinkle evenly with salt; lay the tomato slices on the salt and lightly sprinkle the top of the tomatoes with salt. Set aside for 30 minutes. Using more paper towels press on top of tomatoes to dry them. Move them to clean paper towels and set aside.
Neatly shingle the tomato slices and mozzarella cheese, in rows, using only what you need to make even rows. Mix the olive oil with the powdered garlic. Brush with the olive oil. Sprinkle with fresh grated black pepper. Place back on the baking sheet and bake until shell is browned and cheese is melted, 12 minutes. Cool slightly on wire rack for about 5 minutes to set the cheese, top with fresh basil leaves. Slide onto cutting board and cut into pieces.
by Kathy Douglas | May 18, 2016 | Appetizers
Perfect for spring parties, these bite-size portions of delicious noodles look and taste great. Easy to put together, they are superb on any buffet. For best flavor, go ahead and make them up ahead of time but serve at room temperature.
Ingredients
1/2 lb soba noodles
1 tbsp pickled ginger — finely chopped
2 tsp Chinese hot chili sauce
4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
4 tbsp dark soy sauce
4 tbsp sesame oil
6 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds
green onions, green portion sliced thin
Directions
Bring a pan of water to a boil, over medium heat and add the noodles. When the water returns to a boil, add 1 cup of cold water. Continue cooking until water returns to a boil again. Repeat this process 1 or 2 times until the noodles are tender to the bite, 5-7 minutes. Drain and cool noodles in cold water. Let stand in the colander for 5 minutes to drain well.
Combine noodles, ginger, chili sauce, vinegar, soy, and oils and stir to coat the noodles well.
Toast seeds in a dry pan over low heat until nutty and golden, 3 minutes. Twirl each noodle portion around a fork and make a nest. Transfer to spoons. Garnish with sesame seeds and greens. Serve at room temperature.
by Kathy Douglas | Jan 12, 2015 | Appetizers
Here is a quick and easy recipe for Super Bowl Sunday eats. Using minimal ingredients, these oven roasted wings deliver big on flavor. Sprinkle the wings, fresh from the oven, with fresh chopped cilantro and have some cool sour cream ready to go on the side for dipping.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Chinese Five Spice
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper
40 chicken wings
Canola Oil
Fresh Cilantro, chopped
Sour Cream
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Mix the Chinese Five Spice and the cayenne pepper in a small bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Place the wings in a large bowl, sprinkle the spices over the wings then toss and rub the wings until all the loose spices are incorporated into the chicken. Place a wire cooling rack over a foil lined sheet tray. Lightly brush the rack with canola oil. Put the wings on the rack with the skin side up. Roast until cooked through, about 25 minutes. Place on a platter and top with chopped fresh cilantro. Serve the wings warm with a side of cool sour cream for dipping.
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