Archive for June, 2009

June 22nd, 2009

Roasted Vegetable Panzanella

roastedvegetablepanzanella

If you’re thinking I have too many recipes for Panzanella on this site, you may be right. But seriously, Panzanella is one of the best things on the planet. It’s right up there with goat cheese, balsamic vinegar, eggplant, and chiles. You can see I get obsessions…

I’m not a traditional Panzanella maker, either. For one thing, I always toast and salt my bread. I love the crunchy texture of toasted bread in contrast to soft vegetables. It’s very satisfying! And, well, I kind of have this other obsession with Sel Gris and Pink Himalayan sea salts, so I tend to use one of the other (probably) more often than I should. Luckily, I have very good blood pressure. :) Most Panzanella recipes also call for vinegar, but I opt out of this ingredient, and stick with olive oil, salt (see above), pepper, and plenty of fresh garlic. In my Artichoke Panzanella, however, I did use lemon zest.

The best part of Panzanella is, as long as you’re not a traditionalist, its versatility. Mix and match vegetables with different styles of bread, and you have an entire new dish! For this version, I roasted zucchini, red pepper, yellow pepper, and onion, then tossed in fresh grape tomatoes and basil. If you prefer your tomatoes roasted, too, however, toss them into to oven, as well. I highly suggest experimenting to find new Panzanella recipes that make you swoon!

Ingredients:

*Note: One 9×13 pan will easily feed 4 (or more) as a side dish. It also feeds my husband and I as a main dish with a green salad on the side.

1 baguette of plain, crusty bread
1 zucchini, sliced and cut in half moons
½ red pepper, diced
½ yellow pepper, diced
½ sweet onion, diced
½ crate grape tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, minced
fresh basil, slivered
olive oil
Sel Gris, or sea salt
fresh ground pepper

Guidelines:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In small roasting pan, toss vegetables (except tomatoes and basil) with a splash of olive oil, the rest of the minced garlic, and plenty of fresh ground pepper. Roast for 15-20 minutes, or until they reach desired texture.

Cut bread into large cubes. Toss with plenty of olive oil, sel gris or sea salt, and half of the minced garlic. Toast in oven for 12-15 minutes or until edges turn golden brown, tossing occasionally.

Toss the toasted bread, roasted veggies, fresh grape tomatoes, and fresh, slivered basil, in a large bowl.

Serve.

Posted By: Kelly |  Filed Under: Side Salads  |  2 Comments  |  Permalink

June 11th, 2009

Ravioli Caprese

raviolicaprese

The traditional Insalata Caprese is a simple salad which originated from the Italian island of Capri. It’s comprised of vine-ripened tomatoes, fresh buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper. Yep, that’s it! You slice the tomatoes and mozzarella, sliver the basil, and dress with olive oil and salt and pepper. In this recipe, I’ve added pan-toasted raviolis. I find it best to use meatless ravioli, such as cheese or spinach, or both. Meaty flavors such as sausage tend to drown out the subtle freshness of the other ingredients. I also use a homemade balsamic dressing instead of the traditional extra-virgin olive oil, simply because I’m admittedly obsessed with balsamic vinegar. If you prefer plain extra-virgin olive oil, with the salt and pepper of course, that would be tasty, too. If using the balsamic dressing, use sparingly. A lot goes a long way!

Ingredients:
1 package fresh cheese based ravioli
2 large vine-ripened tomatoes
1 ball fresh mozzarella
fresh basil
salt and pepper

Dressing Ingredients:

If you’re apt to use this dressing for other purposes, go ahead and make a large batch. The ratio is 3:1—3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. If you’re only using for this recipe, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar and 3 tablespoons olive oil should be sufficient.

good quality balsamic vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
a pinch of brown sugar

Guidelines:

Mix dressing ingredients until well emulsified. Give another vigorous whisk right before using.

Cook the raviolis according to package directions, making sure not to overcook. You want the raviolis to be al dente. Drain. In a large skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil. Working in batches, add the raviolis in a single layer. Pan fry until each side is golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella right before serving, and sliver the basil last.

To assemble, place the tomatoes in the center of a plate. Sprinkle with basil and salt and pepper. Drizzle with the dressing. Top the tomatoes and basil with fresh mozzarella. Arrange the raviolis alongside.

Serve.

Posted By: Kelly |  Filed Under: Meatless, Pasta, Salads, Main Dish  |  No Comments  |  Permalink

June 2nd, 2009

Sesame Pasta Salad

sesamepastasalad1

I’ve been fooling around with this recipe for a while now, trying different vinegars, oils, sweeteners, vegetables, and processes. At one point, I even made a version with roasted tomatoes and asparagus, with prosciutto. But nah. The cold, crisp, raw veggies are what I prefer. And now I finally have a version I’m happy with! This is a great salad for picnics, potlucks, light meals, lunches, and snacks. One pound of pasta makes a big batch, and if you’re only feeding two people like I am, it goes a long way. Thankfully, this makes great leftovers! If you’re feeding a large crowd, you may want to double the recipe. Feel free to substitute your own favorite vegetables. So far, the grape tomato, snap pea, and yellow pepper combo is my favorite. I’ve tried cherry tomatoes, green beans, red pepper, orange pepper, carrots, the roasted veggies and prosciutto I mentioned above, and probably a few more. None of them worked for me. But this version has great flavor, color, and texture. The recipe is extremely flexible, however, so mix and match and adjust as you see fit.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 tbsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. + 1 tsp. sugar
1 lb. bowtie pasta
1 crate grape tomatoes
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 ½ cups snap peas, halved
¼ cup sesame seeds

Guidelines:
Cook pasta according to package directions. You want your pasta to be al dente, however, so you may have to pull it off the stove and drain it just shy of the time it lists.

In a medium bowl, combine olive oil, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, and sesame seeds. Mix well.

In a large bowl, toss the pasta with the sauce. Add vegetables and toss again.

Serve.

Note: The pasta and vegetables should be thoroughly coated in the sauce. If your dish it too dry, mix up a half batch of sauce and add to the dish until it’s, well, saucy. :)

Posted By: Kelly |  Filed Under: Pasta  |  4 Comments  |  Permalink