SPAGHETTI AL PESTO

iNGREDIENTS

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 - 3 medium garlic cloves

3 cups packed basil leaves

1 teaspoon Kosher salt - or to taste

½ teaspoon pepper

4 ounces feta cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Quickly, gently, rinse the basil leaves in warm/hot water and drain.

If using a food processor, pulse all ingredients except the oil then drizzle in the oil and process until you have a smooth sauce.

If using a blender, add in your ingredients and blend until smooth stopping as needed to push down ingredients.

Serve with your favorite pasta.

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Homemade Ravioli

Ingredients

• 6 to 6-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 eggs
• ¾ cup water
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

SAUCE:

• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 1-1/2 cups tomato puree
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ⅓ cup water
• ⅓ cup tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper

FILLING:

• 1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Place 6 cups flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Beat the eggs, water and oil; pour into well. Stir together, forming a ball. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes, adding remaining flour if necessary to keep dough from sticking. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a sauce pot, combine the sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
3. In a large bowl, combine the filling ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
4. Divide pasta dough into fourths; roll one portion to 1/16-in. thickness. Working quickly, place rounded teaspoonfuls of filling 1 in. apart over half of pasta sheet. Brush around filling with water to moisten. Fold sheet over; press down to seal. Cut into squares with a pastry wheel. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add ravioli. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer; cook for 1-2 minutes or until ravioli float to the top and are tender. Drain. Spoon sauce over ravioli.

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Tomato Mozzarella Tart

INGREDIENTS

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 plum tomatoes (or 1 large heirloom tomato), cored and sliced ¼-inch thick
½ teaspoon salt
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup shredded)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Place the puff pastry in the center of the baking sheet and brush all over with the egg. Form a crust by folding over the edges about a ½ inch, then brush the edges with egg. Use a paring knife to cut the folded edges and corners.

3. Sprinkle evenly with the Parmesan cheese, then poke the dough all over with a fork, making sure to go the whole way through the dough. Bake until golden brown and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

4. Meanwhile, place the tomato slices on a triple layer of paper towels. Sprinkle with the salt and let sit for 30 minutes.

5. When ready, sprinkle the shredded mozzarella evenly over the bottom of the crust. Press any excess moisture out of the tomatoes with paper towels, then layer the tomato slices evenly over the mozzarella. Whisk the olive oil and garlic together and drizzle evenly over the tomatoes. Bake until the crust is deep golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

6. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then sprinkle with basil. Slide the tart onto a cutting board, slice into pieces and serve.

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Easy Tomato Soup

10 cups

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 56 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• optional garnish: chopped fresh basil, chives, or dill

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large nonreactive stock pot or Dutch oven, heat oil and butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook, stirring for another 2 minutes until soft but not browned. Add flour and stir to coat onion and garlic for about 2 minutes.
2. Add basil and thyme and continue to stir to toast about 2 minutes, until fragrant.
3. Add broth, crushed tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and stir to incorporate well. Cover, reduce heat to low and continue to cook for at least 30 minutes.
4. If you’re okay with a thicker soup, skip the next step (pureeing), season to taste and enjoy!
5. If you prefer a smooth/pureed soup, allow soup to cool slightly, and using a blender, or food processor carefully purée the soup in small batches of about 3-4 cups at a time, OR use an immersion blender to completely puree directly in the pot. Return pureed soup to the pot.
6. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm. If desired, garnish with chopped fresh basil, chives, dill, sour cream, and/or your favorite crumbled or grated cheese.

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Carpese Salad with Tortellini

8-10 servings as a side

Ingredients

• 12 ounces cheese tortellini
• olive oil, for drizzling

Dressing:

• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• ½ cup olive oil (preferable extra-virgin)
• salt and pepper

Salad:

• 8 ounces mini mozzarella balls, cut in half or cubed mozzarella
• 8 ounces grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 3 ounces chopped prosciutto
• ½ cup fresh torn basil leaves

Instructions

1. Cook the tortellini according to package directions in plenty of well salted water to al dente. Drain well and place in a bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil so they don't stick together and toss. Let them cool off a little then cover and refrigerate until cold.
2. Meanwhile make the dressing: Whisk the vinegar and mustard together in a small bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil slowly while whisking. Stir in the garlic and a couple dashes salt and pepper.
3. Add the mozzarella, tomatoes, prosciutto, basil and tortellini to a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss gently with a wooden spoon.
4. Season well with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

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Grilled shrimp with garlic butter

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb medium-large shrimp

1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped basil

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper

skewers

 INSTRUCTIONS

Start by melting butter in a small sauce pan and add garlic to it just long enough enough so it gets a little brown,maybe a minute or so. Transfer to a shallow dish. Place deveined and shelled shrimp on skewers and coat well with the butter garlic mix. Sprinkle coated shrimp skewers with paprika, parsley, basil and pepper.

Spray cooking spray on your Grill and preheat with the lid closed for at least 5 minutes. Use high setting if you have it. Just prior to placing shrimp skewers on grill, spritz them with some lemon juice. Not too much though.

Place shrimp skewers on grill, close lid, and let cook for approximately 3-5 minutes. Give the skewers a turn after 2 minutes to assure even grilling.

When shrimp are done it will be firm to the touch with an opaque color. Serve immediately.

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One Pan Pizza

INGREDIENTS

For the dough:

• 14 ounces high-gluten flour (bread flour), about 2½ cups
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons water

For the Pizzas:

• 4 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1½ cups thick pizza sauce
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 12-16 pieces of pepperoni 

Optional but tasty:

• fresh basil leaves for adding before and after baking

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix together all of the dough ingredients until it is evenly moist and there are no more pockets of dry ingredients. Cover the bowl or dough bucket tightly and let it rise for at least 8 but up to 24 hours.
2. Pour 2 tablespoons of neutral oil into a 10 to 12 inch cast-iron skillet. Repeat with a second skillet. Swirl to coat the bottoms of the pans. Divide the risen dough into two pieces. Gently form into a ball by pulling the side of the dough and tucking it under, rotating ¼ turn and repeating the tug and tug, rotating another ¼ turn and repeating the tug and tuck, then finally doing it once more to form a loose ball. Lay it smooth side down in the oil, then flip so the whole thing is coated in oil. Use the palm of your hand to gently flatten the dough. It will not spread to the edges yet, but that is okay. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and set out at room temperature -undisturbed- for 2 hours.

To Prepare the Pizzas:

1. Preheat oven as high as it will go, preferably to 550°F. Remove plastic wrap from the pans with the pizza dough in them. The dough should now have spread itself (or nearly spread itself) to the edges of the pan. Simply lift the edges of dough to pull toward the sides of the pan if necessary. This will help loosen any trapped air under the dough as well. If there are any large air bubbles, nudge them down with the back of a knuckle.
2. Spread half of the sauce on each pizza right to the edges of the dough. Divide the cheese and top each pizza evenly to the edge, then distribute the pepperoni over the pizzas. If using it, tear half of your basil leaves and toss over the tops of the pizzas. Reserve half of the basil to add to the pizzas when they're removed from the oven.
3. Put into the hot oven and bake for 12-20 minutes. You can check the underside of the pizza crust for doneness by lifting the edge gently with a flexible spatula. A finished pizza will have a crisp, deep-brown bottom and a bubbly, golden- to deep-golden brown top. I pull my pizzas when the edges have some deeply caramelized edges and some dark brown bubbles on top.
4. Use your flexible spatula to slide under the pizza and edge it out onto a cutting board, tear the remaining basil and scatter over the pizzas. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing into wedges, then let it rest without moving it for another 3 minutes before serving.

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Warm roasted tomato,onion & feta salad

Ingredients

1 medium-large red or yellow onion

1/4 cup  olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Variety of small tomatoes, such as cherry, grape etc. no larger than golf-ballish size

A couple of larger tomatoes, cut into thick slices

6-7 oz.  block of feta cheese, cut into 3/4-inch thick slices

Fresh basil leaves (or 1/2-1 tsp. dried basil)

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

Salt, for finishing (*feta is salty, so don’t salt until the end and only a bit is needed)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C). Cut onion into thin wedges. Place in baking dish or roasting pan and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Roast in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes. Place feta slices into roasting pan and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Scatter any feta crumbles around the pan. Place a large tomato slice over most of the large rounds of feta. Scatter smaller tomatoes around the pan. Give one final drizzle of olive oil over tomatoes and a bit of freshly ground pepper (if using dried basil, you can add now, as well). Return to the oven and roast another 35-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, add balsamic vinegar and brown sugar to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then lower the heat and simmer until reduced by half. Set aside.

Allow to cool 5 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh basil leaves, a bit of salt and drizzle with the reduced balsamic vinegar. Serve warm.

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Broccoli Soup with Cheese

Serves: 2 big bowls

INGREDIENTS

·         one bunch of fresh broccoli [enough for a few cups of chopped tops]

·         2 cups vegetable [or chicken!] broth

·         ½ cup of sharp cheddar cheese, plus extra for topping [freshly grated]

·         1 heaping cup of regular gouda cheese [freshly grated]

·         1 cup of shredded carrots [or a little extra!]

·         1 small white onion [about ⅔ cup or 1 cup, chopped]

·         2 large cloves of garlic, minced

·         1 cup half and half [or heavy cream], room temperature

·         3 TBSP all purpose flour

·         3 TBSP butter

·         1 bay leaf

·         ¼ tsp garlic powder

·         ⅛ tsp allspice

·         ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg

·         ⅛ tsp dried basil

·         ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper

·         ⅛ tsp salt [will vary based on salt content of your stock/broth]

·         a few cranks of freshly ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1.    First the veggies: Chop them! Dice the onions super small, mince the garlic, an shred the carrots if you didn't buy pre-shredded. This can all be done ahead of time and stored in the fridge for later. For the broccoli, chop ⅔ of it into tiny florets [just cut off as much stem as you can and it'll fall apart in the pot] and then take the remaining ⅓ and give it a rough chop so you have a few large pieces to add to the soup. Totally optional!

2.    Add your veggie broth to a pot on medium-high heat, add your ⅔ of your broccoli [about 2 cups of florets] as well as your onion, garlic, carrots, and bay leaf. Simmer on medium, covered, for about 15-20 minutes or until the veggies are tender.

3.    Once the broth is done, start your roux: In a large pot, melt 3 tablespoons of butter on medium heat, whisking constantly. Once melted, slowly add 3 tablespoons of flour as you continue to whisk.

4.    For a thicker soup, use an extra tablespoon of each. I skipped it. Remove from heat and slowly pour in the broth from your veggie mixture [its okay if some of the veggies jump in along side it!] and stir to incorporate.

5.    Next pour in the veggies and slowly stir in 1 cup of room temperature half and half.

6.    Return to the burner on very low heat, uncovered.

7.    Spoon out the bay leaf and season with the above herbs and spices, adding a little extra of whichever you like to taste. I personally adore the pinch of nutmeg in this soup but feel free to leave it out if it's just not your cup of tea! The soup is great both ways! Depending on the saltiness of your broth, you might skip the salt entirely or prefer to add a bit more. Taste and tweak as needed after adding your cheese.

8.    Once the soup has warmed back up, stir in the grated cheeses [slowly and in small batches] and remove from heat immediately.

9.    That extra broccoli you left on the side? Blanch in boiling water, steam in your microwave, or basically cook it however you'd like, then stir that green goodness into your completed soup for great texture and an extra burst of broccoli.

10.  Garnish with a little extra grated cheddar and a sprinkle of parsley and even a pinch of spicy red pepper flakes if you'd like! Anything goes!

Enjoy it!

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Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Crisp-tender chicken in the most amazing cream sauce ever. It's so good, you'll want to guzzle down the sauce!

8 servings

INGREDIENTS

·            8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

·            Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

·            3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

·            3 cloves garlic, minced

·            1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more, to taste

·            1 cup chicken broth

·            1/2 cup heavy cream

·            1/3 cup julienned sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained

·            1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

·            1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

·            1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

·            1/4 teaspoon dried basil

·            1/4 cup basil leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

1.      Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2.      Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper, to taste.

3.      Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, skin-side down, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side; set aside.

4.      Melt remaining tablespoon butter in the skillet. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, heavy cream, sun dried tomatoes, Parmesan, thyme, oregano and basil.

5.      Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Return chicken to the skillet.

6.      Place into oven and roast until completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 175 degrees F, about 25-30 minutes.

7.      Serve immediately, garnished with basil, if desired.

Enjoy!

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Grilled Chicken Pesto Wraps

Ingredients for 6 servings:

·         2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

·         1 garlic clove, minced

·         1 teaspoon dried basil

·         1 lb raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (I used kitchen shears – it’s faster than using a knife!)

·         2 tablespoons pine nuts

·         ¾ cup fresh basil leaves

·         2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

·         1 teaspoon water

·         1 teaspoon lemon juice

·         1 garlic clove

·         Pinch of nutmeg

·         Salt & pepper to taste

·         ½ cup shredded 2% reduced fat Mozzarella cheese

·         6 light original Flatouts

·         1 plum tomato, diced

InstrucTIONS:

1.    In a large skillet, bring one tablespoon of the oil over medium high heat. Add the minced garlic clove and dried basil and stir into oil. Cook for about a minute until garlic is fragrant. Add the chicken to the pan and stir to coat chicken with the oil and herbs. Cook for 5-7 minutes until chicken is cooked completely through. Remove chicken along with any excess oil to a medium-sized mixing bowl and set aside.

2.    Bring a small dry skillet over medium heat and add the pine nuts. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally until nuts are golden brown.

3.    Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, toasted pine nuts, fresh basil leaves, Parmesan cheese, water, lemon juice, whole garlic clove, nutmeg, salt and pepper to the bowl of your food processor and process until minced together into a pesto paste. Add the pesto to the reserved mixing bowl with the chicken. Add the Mozzarella cheese and mix all ingredients together until well combined (see photo above).

4.    Lay a flatout wrap on a clean surface and spoon 1/6 of the chicken pesto mixture (about 2.5 ounces by weight) onto the center of each flatout and spread the mixture lengthwise, leaving about an inch at each end. Sprinkle about 1/6 of the diced tomatoes over the chicken. Fold in the 1” ends of the flatout over the filling and then fold in the long ends to cover it.

5.    Lightly mist the large skillet with cooking spray and bring over medium-low heat. Place the wraps fold-side down onto the skillet (I did them in batches of two) and mists the tops with cooking spray as well. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until bottom is golden. Flip the wraps and continue to cook another 3-4 minutes until golden on the other side. Cut in half and serve.

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