The Simplest (And Prettiest) Summer Salad

Isn't that just the most gorgeous salad?  I love the vivid colors of summer tomatoes, black balsamic reduction, creamy white mozzarella, and bright green basil.  When vine ripe tomatoes are at their peak, I like to turn to Caprese Salad as a pot luck dish, or an elegant side dish for any night of the week.

I made this salad for my Mom's garden party a couple weeks ago, and I'm making it again tomorrow night when Wade and I entertain my parents and two close friends of the family during our small town's annual festival and fireworks celebration.  It's a cinch to make a few hours and advance and keep in the fridge until serving time, though it is probably best to keep the balsamic reduction in a separate container until just before serving time so that it looks nice and fresh.  Red tomatoes are beautiful in this salad, but heirloom tomatoes add a nice homey touch and visual appeal

•Approximately 2 1/2 pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes

•1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese

•A small handful of fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

•1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Simmer the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over medium heat until it has reduced by about 2/2 and has a light syrup-like consistency.  Set aside.

Slice the tomatoes thickly and set aside.  Slice the mozzarella cheese into thin slices and set aside.

Layer the tomatoes and cheese slices out in a fan shape on a large serving platter, alternating cheese and tomatoes.  Drizzle with the balsamic reduction.  Sprinkle the finely chopped basil over the salad and serve.

Shrimp Pasta with Artichokes and Sun Dried Tomatoes

There used to be a pasta dish at a certain un-named Italian-style chain restaurant that I just loved.  It was all I would order.  It had shrimp, chicken, artichokes, tomatoes, and a spicy cream sauce.  The problem is, after I began cooking and experimenting more in the kitchen, many meals from restaurants didn't taste quite as good as they did before.  (Plus, when you work in the world of chain restaurants you get the inside scoop on their "secret recipes"- often times frozen cooked meats, canned, powdered, and bagged sauces, etc)

Wade and I try to dine at locally owned places these days, and luckily there have been some great additions to the restaurant scene around here the past few years.  We have a Middle Eastern kebab place, a great family-owned Italian restaurant, a TON  of fantastic Mexican restaurants, a couple good places to eat sushi, and even pho. Still, I find myself craving this pasta from time to time.  This is how I recreate it at home, using spinach from our garden, sun-dried tomatoes I put up last fall, and a creamy homemade white wine sauce with a touch of cayenne pepper.  Sliced grilled chicken can also be added.

•1 box whole wheat penne

•1 Tablespoon butter

•1 Tablespoon olive oil

•1/2 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed

•1 medium onion, finely diced

•4 cloves garlic, minced

•1 cup white wine

•1 pint half and half (heavy cream makes a richer sauce, but I try to keep it light)

•2 Tablespoons parsley

•3/4  teaspoon cayenne pepper

•1/2 teaspoon oregano

•Salt and pepper, to taste

•1 14 oz can artichoke heart quarters, drained

•a large handful sun dried tomatoes, sliced (about 1/3 cup)

•10 oz. box frozen spinach- squeezed dry, or several large handfuls fresh spinach, chopped

•Parmesan cheese, for serving

Cook the pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat the butter and olive oil in a large pan. Add the shrimp.  Cook for a few minutes, until the shrimp are all pink and cooked through.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.



Add the onion and garlic to the pan.  Cook, stirring often until the onions are slightly browned.



Add the white wine and cook until reduced by half .  Mix in the half and half or heavy cream.  Add the cayenne, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Cook until slightly thickened.



Add the spinach, artichokes, and sun dried tomatoes.  Heat through.  Toss with the cooked pasta and top with Parmesan cheese.

Batch Cooking: Homemade Ravioli

Homemade ravioli is somewhat time consuming, but so much fun to make.  It is nice to have ravioli in the freezer for quick meals topped with a simple sauce, with sauteed vegetables, in soups, or breaded and pan-fried.  I first learned how to make ravioli from scratch when I took a catering class in high school.  The girl who taught our group the skill works at the Ritz Carlton now, so I guess I can say I learned from a real chef.

Last weekend I set up the laptop for a How I Met Your Mother marathon and went on a ravioli making frenzy and made over two-hundred pumpkin and garlic potato filled ravioli.  The garlic and potato filling recipe is loosely based on my family's recipe for stuffed baked potatoes.  I think those ravioli will pair well with a caramelized onion sauce.  One Saturday soon I hope to do another big ravioli day and make chicken-artichoke and spinach and cheese ravioli.

For the Dough:

•3 cups all purpose flour
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•2 eggs
•1/4 cup olive oil
•1/2 cup warm water

Mix all of the ingredients together in a food processor, until a ball forms.  Remove from processor and knead until smooth, dusting with extra flour, if necessary.  Cover and set aside.  Make fillings.

Pumpkin Filling:

•2 cups pumpkin puree (or butternut squash)
•a couple dashes nutmeg
•a couple handfuls freshly grated Parmesan cheese, about half a cup, to taste
•salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients together and adjust seasonings.  Set aside.

Garlic and Potato Filling:

•2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
•2 cloves garlic, smashed
•salt and pepper, to taste
•1/4 cup milk
•1 Tablespoon butter
•3 green onions, sliced
•1/2 cup shredded cheese- use Parmesan or cheddar
•1/4 teaspoon Hungarian Paprika

Place the potatoes and garlic in a small pot.  Cover with water and boil until tender.  Drain.  Melt the butter in a small skillet.  Add the green onions and cook until tender.  Mash the potatoes with the salt and pepper, milk, green onions, cheese, and paprika.  The potatoes should be the consistency of thick mashed potatoes.  Add a little more milk if necessary.

Divide the dough into eight pieces.  Roll the dough out to a rectangular shape with a pasta machine or a rolling pin, until it is about 1/8 inch thick.

Place the dough sheet over a ravioli press and use the plastic form to make indentations.



I like this ravioli press made my Norpro.

Fill the indentations with desired filling.

Roll out another section of dough in the same way as the first.  Place over the filling.  Roll over the ravioli press with a rolling pin to seal the filling in the dough and cut out the individual ravioli.  Trim the excess dough.  Remove the filled ravioli from the form very carefully.

Place on a baking sheet lined with a smooth kitchen towel.  Repeat until all of the dough and filling is used up.  Freeze the ravioli on the baking sheets for a couple hours.  Remove and place in freezer bags.

Batch Cooking: Meatballs

After a several month hiatus I'm back working again.  Now that Wade and I are both out of the house everyday before nine and we don't get home until nearly seven each night we need to work on streamlining our evening meal planning and making freezer dinners.

For the next week or two I'll be working on some batch cooking favorites to restock the downstairs freezer.  Many of these dishes are things that my family has been making and freezing for years, but I'll also be including some of my own recipes as well.

My older sister, Lisa, has always made some of the best meatballs around.  I don't know where she originally got the recipe, but I love having a few bags of these in the freezer for when we need to get dinner on the table fast. Of course spaghetti and meatballs is an easy go to dish, but these work great with either marinara or barbecue sauce in sandwiches, pastas, soups, or even casseroles.

•3 pounds ground beef
•2 medium onions, chopped
•2 eggs
•2 Tablespoons parsley
•1 teaspoon oregano
•1 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
•1 cup milk
•1 scant Tablespoon salt
•1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Make sure that there are no dry parts.  Using wet hands, shape mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls.  I like to use an ice cream scoop to measure the meat mixture out so that everything is a uniform size.

 

Place in a lightly greased baking pan with shallow sides.  Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.  Cool and freeze in freezer bags or containers.