Monday, July 30, 2012

Parmesan, Tomato, Pesto Garlic Bread


The easiest side dish I can think of is delicious bread. This recipe is great anytime of year and for any occasion, BUT if you do not feel like cooking in the heat, then this is for you!

1 large loaf of fresh Italian or French bread
1 cup of fresh pesto
1 tomato sliced
1 cup of Parmesan cheese
6 cloves of garlic put through a pres
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of fresh Italian leaf parsley chopped

In a pan, heat of the butter, garlic and parsley until the butter is melted. Set aside. Take the loaf of bread and slice it without cutting through to the other side. In each of the slits brush with pesto and add cheese and tomato. Once you finish with this, place the bread on the grill or in the oven at 375 for about 15 minutes or until the bread is toasty. Once you pull from the grill or oven, brush generously with garlic butter. Put back in the oven or grill for two more minutes. Done!


Friday, July 27, 2012

Linguine with Clams (Quahogs)



Clam Sauce
5lbs of Quahogs, shucked and chopped (use a pair of scissors to do this). When you shuck these, it is very important to do it over a bowl, as you want all of the juices.
5 cloves of garlic smashed and sliced
1 bunch of flat leaf Italian parsley washed and finely chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 lb of Linguine

In a large sauce pan add about 3/4 cup of Extra Virgin olive oil and the garlic. On medium heat, cook this until the garlic is golden. Take off of the heat and add your clams. Place back on the heat and let cook until it come up to a soft boil (about 15 minutes). Add in your parsley and take off of the heat.

In the meantime, cook your linguine and drain it. In a large pasta bowl add your pasta and then the clam sauce. Finish with extra parsley and more olive oil. Serve!

*I add Romano and Parmesan cheese to mine, which I know is frowned upon by the culinary community, but I don't care! HAHA! It is delicious!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Summertime Peach Crisp





For the Peaches
6-8 Peaches, washed, pitted and sliced (about 1/4 inch thick)
1/2 cup of white sugar
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of salt

Mix all of the above and put into a buttered 9x13 pan. 

For the Crisp
1 stick of softened butter (yes, one stick I said)
1 cup of oats (do not use Steel Cut)
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of cinnamon

Mix all of the above until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of the peaches that are in the buttered baking pan. Bake at 375 for about 25-35 minutes or until the top is golden and the peaches are bubbling.
Serve with Haagen-Daaz Vanilla ice cream and freshly whipped cream.

*Add in berries or substitute blueberries, raspberries or blackberries.

Summer Pesto and Pesto Butter




Summer Pesto
3 cups of freshly picked and washed basil leaves
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese
1/2-1 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper (about a tablespoon each)

In a blender add all of the above and starting with 1/2 cup of the olive oil. Blend until smooth. Add more olive oil to as you go to get very smooth. 

*You can freeze this and have fresh pesto all winter. Should last for 6 months.
Summer Pesto Add Ins:
Fresh Spinach, Mint, Pine Nuts, Walnuts, Pecan, Roasted Garlic, Roasted Red Peppers, Sun Dried Tomato and anything else you can image.

Pesto Butter
1 stick of softened butter
3 tablespoons of Pesto
Wax Paper 

Mix together well.  Place onto the wax paper and form into a log. Roll up in the paper and freeze. This will last for about 6 months. 

Pesto Uses:
Pasta, marinade for fish, shrimp, chicken or meat, spread on pizza, dipping sauce, add into soups, mix into meatballs, mix with marinara sauce, use as an Italian Chimichuri, use as a sandwich spread, etc.



Thursday, July 19, 2012

Grilled Thai Salmon




1 lb of Salmon

Thai Marinade

1 lime zested and juiced
1 tablespoon of honey (I used raw/organic)
2 tbs of Soy Sauce
1 tbs of Sriacha
2 tbs of Rice Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Sesame Oil
Ground Pepper

Mix all of the above. Marinate salmon for at least 30 minutes. Grill up the salmon to your liking (I like medium). Take the remaining marinade and boil for 5 minutes. Once you take the salmon off of the grill, top with the sauce and let sit for 15 minutes.

Delicious!

Zucchini Fritters with Yogurt Dipping Sauce




3 large zucchini grated
1/2 onion grated
1/2 cup of flour (or panko)
1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese
2 tbs of Romano Cheese
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 large egg
salt, pepper and garlic powder

Grate the zucchini and onion in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. In a large frying pan have it coated in olive oil and have the pan hot. Add about two tablespoons of the mixture to the hot oil....fry for about 3-5 minutes on each side until crispy. Place on paper towel to absorb the extra oil. Serve!

* You can eat these plain, or top with a Greek Yogurt dipping sauce.
** Serve as a side dish!

1 Container of Plain Greek Yogurt
1 tsp of Lemon Zest
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper

Mix and serve chilled.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Stuffed, Grilled Nectarines



5 Nectarines pitted and split in half
1 small container of Mascarpone Cheese
5 Amaretti Cookies crushed up
1 tsp Almond Extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbs white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp lemon juice

Mix together everything but the nectarines. Stuff one tablespoon in the cavity of the nectarine, take the second half of the nectarine and place on top of the stuffing. Wrap each nectarine in foil and grill for 30 minutes. Take off the grill and let sit for 5 minutes, open the foil packet over the vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

*You can use peaches too!
**Garnish with chopped nuts and mint
***Add raspberries and blueberry into the stuffing as well

Thank you to my good friend Jackson who just suggested that these would be even more deadly if you drizzled with Nutella!!! Can't wait to try this!