Grilled Pork and Fontina Sandwiches

Last weekend was the second in a series of shows at the Hollywood Bowl that I am attending this summer. It's been so much fun to not only see a great show under the stars, but to picnic with fabulous people beforehand. Last time I made blueberry crumb bars, but this time I decided to go the savory route. I'd had this episode of open mouth chewer, Giada's show saved since last fall because I could not get these sandwiches out of my mind. They are perfect picnic food and can be made beforehand which was great for me since I had a busy day leading up to the festivities. These sandwiches are so easy and packed with flavor. The herbes de provence pork chops are a wonderful compliment to the lemon basil mayonnaise and crunchy romaine. The creamy Fontina brings it all together. I used a bit more pork than what is written below so I used the leftovers in hearty salads with spinach, sliced grape tomatoes, feta, and lemon vinaigrette. Excellent for a weekday work lunch!



Grilled Pork and Fontina Sandwiches
(From Giada De Laurentiis)



Makes 8 sandwiches

4 (8-ounce) 1-inch thick, boneless pork loin chops
Olive oil for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons herbes de Provence
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup (packed) chopped fresh basil leaves
4 teaspoons lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 (1 pound) loaves ciabatta bread, cut in half horizontally
8 romaine lettuce leaves
8 ounces fontina cheese, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the pork chops on both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon of herbes de Provence over each side of the pork chops. Brush the grill with oil and grill the pork chops for about 10 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Transfer the pork chops to a cutting board and let them rest for 10 minutes. Slice each chop into 1/4-inch thick slices.

In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, basil, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

To assemble the sandwiches: Lay the bottom half of the bread on a work surface and spread with some of the mayo.  Add the lettuce leaves then arrange the cheese over the lettuce. Top the cheese with the pork slices. Spread the top half of the bread with more mayonnaise and cover the sandwiches. Slice each loaf into 4 pieces and serve.

Printable Recipe

Red Wine Risotto with Peas

It is very rare that I get a weekend completely to myself without having any chores or work things to worry about. This past weekend was one of those rare amazing times when I had two whole days to do whatever I wanted. I kicked off the weekend by cleaning out my very old recipe binder, followed by a beach picnic with a few of my favorite blogging pals, and rounded it out with a little Sunday afternoon fun with some of my best boys. The sun was shining, the weather was perfect and I could not have asked for a better time. While I was cleaning out my recipe folder, I found this particular risotto recipe that I had printed out nearly three years ago. At the time I remembered thinking how unusual it was to put red wine in risotto when you normally use white. The wine not only gives the risotto that beautiful color, but adds a nice deep flavor without additional ingredients that would make it feel heavy. Perhaps a little unconventional, I paired this risotto with shrimp because I love shrimp and risotto together. The green peas add a nice pop of color and their lovely sweetness which rounds out this dish. Now that I have been through my old recipe binder again, I have pulled out a bunch of recipes and can't wait to share some of them soon!



You wish you could live here:






Red Wine Risotto with Peas
(Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)



Makes 2 servings

2 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup dry red wine
3 tablespoons frozen peas, defrosted
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
1-2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring the stock to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover, and keep the stock warm over very low heat.

In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent,but not browned, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook for about 2 minutes until the rice is toasted. Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed, about 1-2 minutes. Add one ladle full of the hot chicken stock to the rice; simmer until the liquid is absorbed, stirring often. Repeat, one ladle full at a time until the rice is tender and creamy.

Stir in the peas, Parmesan and parsley. Season to taste. Spoon the risotto into bowls and serve.

Printable Recipe

Strawberry and Rosemary Scones

Short post today. A couple weeks ago, I saw Giada make these scones. So I wanted to make these scones. I love the combination of savory rosemary with sweet strawberry jam (my favorite is from Harry's Berries). To make life easier, I made them in the food processor. They came out more like cookies, but still delicious. They were even better the next day after spending the night in an airtight container and they go really well with green tea.




Strawberry and Rosemary Scones
(Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis)



Makes 5-6 scones

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
Strawberry jam

Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, baking powder, rosemary, salt, and butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.

Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Gradually stir in the cream until the mixture forms a dough. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough until it's 1/2-inch thick.

Using a 3-inch cookie cutter, cut out pieces of dough and put on the prepared baking sheet. Gently knead together any leftover pieces of dough and roll out to 1/2-inch thick. Cut the dough into more circles and add to the baking sheet.

Using an index finger or a small, round measuring spoon, gently make an indentation in the center of each pastry heart. Spoon a heaped 1/2 teaspoon of jam into each indentation.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Transfer the cooked scones onto a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes.

Printable Recipe

Calamari Stew with Garlic Toast

One of the things on my 101 list was to cook with other seafoods besides shrimp. I really like a lot of different kinds of seafood, but shrimp is so accessible and relatively affordable for me which is why I use it so much. However, the last few weeks, I noticed the seafood vendor at the farmers market has been carrying cleaned calamari for about 5 bucks a pound. I couldn't pass it up. When I was young, the thought of eating calamari really grossed me out. I think it's because we had to dissect them in biology class. Luckily, I grew out of that and now I really enjoy it. Of course, I love the fried appetizer, but in the interest of keeping things lighter, I wanted to go with a recipe where the calamari wasn't fried. I found a few recipes that looked interesting, but as I was watching Food Network on Saturday (which is becoming increasingly infuriating with all the lame new hosts), I saw this recipe on a repeat of Giada that I knew I wanted to try first. This is a very simple recipe and really fast. It's actually probably a good idea to make the toasts first so that they are ready by the time the stew is done which is less than 10 minutes. I used a jarred roasted garlic tomato sauce which I had leftover from the turkey meatballs, so I didn't spend too much time trying to infuse garlic into the oil because there was already so much garlic flavor in the sauce. As I said, this is really delicious, but I am glad I am not eating it today. I just learned from Jaden that it's bad luck to eat squid on the Chinese New Year. Wait until tomorrow to try this!

Calamari Stew with Garlic Toast
(Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

For the stew:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, cut in 1/2
3/4 cups tomato sauce
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Small pinch salt
Small pinch freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound calamari (squid), bodies thinly sliced and tentacles whole

For the toast:

2 slices of bread
Olive oil, for brushing
1 clove garlic

For the Calamari Stew: Warm the olive oil over medium heat in a medium pot. Add the garlic and let cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove the garlic. Add the tomato sauce, white wine, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the calamari and stir to combine. Continue to cook until the mixture comes back up to a simmer, about 2 more minutes. Serve immediately with the Garlic Toasts.

For the Garlic Toast: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (I used the toaster oven).

Meanwhile, brush the bread slices with olive oil. Toast until the bread is crisp and turning golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and rub the top of the toasts with whole garlic cloves. Serve immediately with the Calamari Stew.

Chicken Sandwich in Puff Pastry

When I made the ham and turkey in puff pastry, I was thinking it was a nice alternative it was to a regular sandwich. Then later in the week I saw Giada make a napolean using puff pastry and I knew I wasn't the only one with the idea. Giada made hers with three layers and some avocado and peppered mayo. I don't eat much avocado (it makes me sick, literally) so I wanted to find an alternative. Last week, Mark Bittman posted a video with Jamie Oliver making a really simple chicken breast. He didn't even use a recipe. It was just chicken, season, herbs, lemon zest, Parmesan, prosciutto...pound, pound, pound, cook and done. You can see the video here. I thought it would be nice to do that chicken recipe in the puff pastry sandwich, plus it was fun to pound and get out some aggression!! This was such an easy and fast chicken recipe. I loved the freshness from the lemon and parsley and you really can't go wrong with salty prosciutto and Parmesan. My "corner store" only had puff pastry rounds so I just rolled them out a bit to get to sandwich size. This was a really easy sandwich to put together and it all tasted wonderful. Can you believe it is only Tuesday? The long weekend cannot come fast enough!!



Chicken Sandwich in Puff Pastry
(Inspired by Giada De Laurentiis and chicken recipe from Jamie Oliver)

2 rounds of puff pastry
1 chicken breast
Kosher salt
Flat leaf parsley
Lemon zest
Parmesan cheese
1 slice prosciutto
Olive oil
Baby Spinach

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured board, roll out the puff pastry rounds to desired length and width. Place the rounds on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a fork, prick holes all over the puff pastry rounds. Top the rounds with another sheet of parchment paper and then another cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the top cookie sheet and top parchment and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the chicken. Season one side of the chicken with salt. Top with roughly torn parsley, then a layer of lemon zest, and then a layer of freshly shredded Parmesan. Lay a slice of prosciutto over the chicken and top with plastic wrap. Pound the chicken until it is about 1/4 inch thick.

Heat some olive oil in a small pan and add the chicken, prosciutto side down. Season the exposed side with salt and cook 4-5 minutes per side until the prosciutto is crispy and the chicken is cooked through.

To assemble the sandwiches, spread a thin layer of spinach over the bottom of the puff pastry. Add the sliced chicken and top with the second sheet of puff pastry.

New Year's Eve Treats

Over the weekend, I shared with you some of the things I made for our NYE celebration at JenFinn's house. Now our lovely hostess is sharing some of the recipes that she herself made (girlfriend went ALL OUT!!). They were all really, incredibly delicious. I actually got to sample the brittle a couple of days before and my friend and I that got to eat it were craving it again later on. I loved the combo of not only sweet and salty, but spicy as well. Jen's thoughts on the brittle: it's very important to work very fast once you pour the candy on the cookie sheet. It gets hard really fast and I found myself stretching it out while it was still warm to make it thinner.



Next up is the Wild Mushroom Macaroni with Three Cheeses and Truffle Oil. As regular readers of this blog know, I am huge fan of the mac and cheese so I gobbled this right up (as did everyone else at the party). Jen's thoughts: It definitely has a spicy bite to it, so if you don't like spicy, you should go easy on the chili flakes...also if you aren't big fans of rosemary, you can either omit it or just half it (I like it and find it reminds me of the holidays, so I used it all)!


Last, but certainly not least, this gorgeous Hazelnut Crunch cake. This was really good and light which was surprising considering how decadent it looks. How awesome does that hazelnut brittle look? It's like stained glass. The cake was so good, you would never have guessed it came from a box!!





Sweet and Spicy Nut Brittle
(From Wilton)

Makes about 1 1/2 pounds of brittle

1 cup cashews, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 325°F.

In medium bowl, combine cashews and pistachios. In small bowl, mix oil, hot pepper sauce, chili powder, kosher salt, and cayenne pepper. Drizzle spice mixture over nuts; stir to coat evenly. Spread nut mixture onto cookie pan in a single layer.

Bake 10 to12 minutes stirring once after 5 minutes. Remove from oven; spread nut mixture over paper towels to cool completely. Place cooled nuts into medium bowl; set aside.

Line 12 x 18 in. cookie pan with parchment paper. Generously grease paper with butter; set aside. Meanwhile, over medium-high heat, combine sugar and water in medium saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. (Use pastry brush dipped in water to wash sugar crystals down on sides of saucepan.) Continue cooking, without stirring, 20-30 minutes until sugar mixture turns deep amber in color and Candy Thermometer registers 300ºF. (Carefully watch sugar mixture, as it can quickly turn from amber to dark brown.)

Once sugar mixture reaches 300ºF, remove from heat; using greased wooden spoon, stir in nuts. Immediately pour brittle mixture into prepared pan. Using greased, large angled spatula, spread sugar mixture as thinly as possible. Cool completely. Break brittle into pieces.

Wild Mushroom Macaroni and Three Cheeses with Truffle Oil
(From What We're Eating)

1 1/2 cups sliced crimini mushrooms
1 1/2 cups sliced shitake mushrooms
2 tbsp oil or bacon fat
1 1/2 tbsp sherry vinegar
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
3 cup whole milk, warmed
4 oz herb chevre, crumbled
4 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
4 oz Parmigiano Reggiano, separated in 2 2oz piles
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 tsp fresh sage, minced
2-3 tbsp white truffle oil, depending on how strong you like it (yes, this is some rich mac-n-cheese)
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup panko
10 oz cavatappi pasta
kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a large pot of water over high heat and cover. Place a large saute pan with 2 tbsp oil or lard over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms to the pan and saute for 7-10 minutes or until the mushrooms are fully cooked and slightly caramelized. Toss or stir occasionally. Season with a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper then deglaze the pan with sherry vinegar. Allow all of the vinegar to cook out, then remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.

Begin the cheese sauce. Add 4 tbsp butter to a medium-sized sauce pan and place the pan on the stove over medium heat. Once all the butter is melted and hot, whisk in 4 tbsp flour. Cook the flour, whisking, for about 30 seconds , just long enough to get rid of the raw flour taste, but not long enough for the flour to start caramelizing. Add the thyme, rosemary, sage, and red pepper flakes. Continue stirring and allow the herbs to saute for about another 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking continuously, so the roux and milk incorporate smoothly and there are no lumps. Allow the bechamel to come to a simmer (it won’t gain it’s full thickness until it does), stirring occasionally.

While waiting for the sauce to come to a simmer start the pasta. Liberally salt the pot of boiling water, almost to the point it tastes like sea water. This may take a few handfuls of salt . Add the pasta to the water and cook the pasta for a minute or two less than the suggested time on the box.

Once the bechamel has reached a simmer, stir in the chevre, cheddar, 2oz of parmigiano, and truffle oil until all the cheese has melted. Turn off the heat and and taste the sauce for seasoning levels. Season with salt and pepper as necessary. In small mixing bowl, mix together the panko and remaining 2oz of Parmigiano Reggiano.

Strain the pasta immediately once finished cooking. In a mixing bowl, toss the pasta, cheese sauce, and mushrooms together. Pour the macaroni and cheese into a deep glass or ceramic loaf pan and sprinkle the panko/Parmigiano mixture evenly across the top. Bake the mac-n-cheese in the upper part of the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the topping is golden and the cheese sauce is bubbly. Serve hot. Enjoy!

*if you’re lucky enough to have a real truffle, feel free to substitute shaved truffle for the truffle oil!

Hazelnut Crunch Cake with Mascarpone and Chocolate
(From Giada De Laurentiis)

1 box chocolate cake mix

Crunch:

1 cup (about 4 1/2-ounces) hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water

Filling:

2 (8-ounce) containers mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 cup cream
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:

1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter and flour 2 (8-inch) cake pans. Prepare the cake mix according to package instructions. Divide the batter between the 2 cake pans and bake according to package instructions. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

For the Crunch:

Place the toasted nuts close together in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir the sugar mixture until dissolved. Bring to a boil and let cook until the sugar is light brown, about 8 minutes. Let the bubbles subside then pour the caramelized sugar over the nuts. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator and let the sugar nut mixture cool until hard, about 30 minutes. When the sugar nut mixture is hard and cool, top with another piece of parchment paper and pound into small pieces, or place the sugar nut mixture on a cutting board and cut into small pieces. Set aside.

For the filling:

Put the mascarpone cheese, cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla into a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer whip the cream mixture to soft peaks. Fold the Crunch mixture into the whipped cream.

For the topping:

Place the chocolate, sugar and zest in a food processor. Process the mixture until the chocolate is finely ground.

To assemble the cake:

Put 1 cake on a serving plate. Top with 1-inch of the whipped cream crunch mixture. Top with the second layer of cake and continue frosting the entire cake with the remaining whipped cream crunch mixture. Sprinkle the top and sides of the cake with the ground chocolate. Serve.

Fried Ravioli

I fought the cold and the cold won. Blech! Not feeling so hot this morning, but I still gotta eat. I made these bad boys after I (finally) got home from my NYE celebration. I was having some trouble figuring out what to eat that day so I didn't eat anything at all. Weird...I know. When I got home, I decided to make these as a little snack to have while watching a movie (Sex and the City for the umpteenth time!). I have had this recipe saved for what seems like ages so I am glad to finally have used it. Instead of having these with marinara sauce, I enjoyed them with some leftover slow roasted tomato soup from the night before. The second time I made the soup, it came out quite chunky so it was the perfect consistency to use as a dip. This was definitely a new experience food-wise, but a really good one. I hear that Dan Tana's has this as an appetizer on the menu, but I can tell you my version is a lot cheaper. I am off to go lay back in bed for the rest of the day. Get out there and enjoy the last couple of days of your break (if you are on break).


Fried Raviloi
(From Giada De Laurentiis)

Oil for frying
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups Italian style breadcrumbs
1 box fresh ravioli
Parmesan for sprinkling
Marinara sauce (or other sauce) for dipping

Pour enough oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325 degrees F.

While the oil is heating, put the buttermilk and the bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Working in batches, dip ravioli in buttermilk to coat completely. Allow the excess buttermilk to drip back into the bowl. Dredge ravioli in the bread crumbs. Place the ravioli on a baking sheet, and continue with the remaining ravioli.

When the oil is hot, fry the ravioli in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried ravioli to paper towels to drain.

Sprinkle the fried ravioli with Parmesan and serve with the sauce of your choice for dipping.

Pancetta and Cinnamon Waffles

A few days ago, my friend Raul suggested another chicken and waffle brunch. How could I resist? I'm on vacay! Of course, I knew we wouldn't do a whole chicken and waffle ordeal, but I wanted to do something special before we left on our respective trips (Daul to Mexico and me to Hawaii). I saw this recipe last week on Giada's new show. By the way, I have officially decided that Giada as a person bugs me, but her recipes tend to be excellent so I will continue to make them. This was another good one. Using a mix certainly helped because after all the cooking I did on Saturday, I wasn't really in the mood to create waffle genius. Raul picked up the gluten free waffle mix from Trader Joes which ended up being pretty good. The recipe doesn't call for sugar in the mix so the maple syrup (which I personally don't normally go for), added to the recipe. We used Vermont maple syrup from Dan's home town because we roll local like that :). This is a very easy and straightforward recipe. The only thing that bothered me a bit was that the pancetta mostly sunk to the bottom of the waffle batter so the last few waffles had most of the pancetta. No worries though, Raul cooked up some bacon to add some more pork to the menu. It was really good and filling...now if only I could become an expert at the new Raving Rabbids game, it would have been a perfect day.





Pancetta and Cinnamon Waffles
(From Giada De Laurentiis)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts
4 ounces pancetta, diced
1 package Trader Joe's waffle mix
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup maple syrup

Special Equipment: a Belgian or conventional waffle iron

Preheat and lightly grease a waffle iron.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until brown and crispy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the pancetta to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine waffle mix, eggs, vegetable oil, water, cinnamon, and salt. Using a whisk, blend the ingredients together until smooth. Stir in the pancetta. Pour the batter, using the amount recommended by the waffle iron manufacturer's instructions, into the preheated waffle iron. Cook waffles for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown.

Place waffles onto serving plates. Sprinkle with the chopped walnuts and drizzle with maple syrup. Serve immediately.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

I discovered this dish last year and often think about making it again, but it has taken me a while. After the chicken and waffle madness, I was looking for something a little lighter to close out the weekend with (probably didn't help that I consumed half a cheesecake after it, but more on that tomorrow). This is a really quick and easy dish to throw together. I couldn't find my can of tomatoes (I guess they magically disappeared) so I just used a few fresh Roma tomatoes that I had planned on roasting. Yes, I am still roasting tomatoes and soon I will be using them in recipes. This is so good with a nice kick from the red pepper flakes. I forgot the garlic and it still turned out great. It is an absolute must to serve this with some crusty bread to sop up the amazing juices.



Shrimp Fra Diavolo
(Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus additional as needed
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil plus 1 to 2 teaspoons
1/2 medium onion, sliced
7 ounces diced tomatoes
1/2 cup dry white wine
Dash dried oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and red pepper flakes. Heat the 2 teaspoons oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and saute for about a minute, toss, and continue cooking until just cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a large plate; set aside.

Add the onion to the same skillet, adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan, if necessary, and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, wine, and oregano. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Return the shrimp and any accumulated juices to the tomato mixture; toss to coat, and cook for about a minute so the flavors meld together. Stir in the parsley and basil. Season with more salt, to taste, and serve.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

I have a friend who is very nice, so he has become my number one taste tester for most of the treats I bake. I saw this recipe on a repeat of Giada this weekend and I thought it would be good to use up the last of the ricotta and a few lemons I had sitting around. I kind of went a little nutty at the farmers market this weekend so my fridge is once again overflowing with produce. I loved the cake-like texture of these cookies and I lightened them up a bit by using part-skim ricotta. My glaze wasn't as white as the glaze in the picture of Giada's cookies, but it was nice and lemony and added a tart bite. Giada (like how I'm on a first name basis with her?) sent these to her niece in college, but these are a simple treat to make any time.



Lemon Ricotta Cookies
(Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

Cookies:
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick butter, at room temperature
Scant 1 cup sugar
1 egg
7 1/2 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 lemon, zested

Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 lemon, zested

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl mx together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the butter and sugar. Using an electric mixer, cream together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta, lemon juice and lemon zest and beat until everything is combined. Working in batches, beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop the dough onto the paper leaving room for each cookie to rise. Bake for 15-20 minutes until slightly golden at the edges. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

To make the glaze:
Stir together the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for 2 hours.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

I had an annoying weekend. I was so pumped about having my own apartment for a month, but I still had to go out and do things on Saturday. Unfortunately, I didn't get to do those things, so I sat around and moped. And then I got to baking. I needed a way to release my frustration so I decided to do something that would relieve the tension. I had some cocoa powder left from when I made cupcakes for my birthday, and I originally thought I would make brownies, but then another recipe caught my attention. I decided to make ice cream sandwiches with my honey ice cream. These turned out amazing. I read the reviews first and decided to grind the cornmeal in a food processor to give it a more fine texture and the end result was a cookie that was crumbly and sweet, but not too sweet with just the right amount of chocolate mixed in. It was a perfect comfort food for a less than comforting day.

Italian Chocolate Sandwich Cookie
(Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal or polenta
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the cookies, in a large bowl use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar until light in color and fluffy. In another medium bowl stir together the flour, cornmeal or polenta, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir to combine using a wooden spoon. Place the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap. Press the dough into a 1-inch high round. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.

Roll out the dough to between 1/8 and 1/4-inch thick. Use a 2 inch round cookie cutter (or a glass) to cut out the dough. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 15 minutes. Place the baking sheets on a wire rack to cool cookies. Cookies can be made a day in advance.

To make the ice cream sandwiches:

Press a scoop of ice cream on one cookie. Top with another cookie and press down until ice cream reaches the edge of the cookie. Serve immediately.

Spaghetti with Pinot Grigio and Shrimp

As I said yesterday, I consumed a *bit* too much wine at our potluck. I managed to stumble to the farmer's market, but I was late and a lot of the farmer's were out of the produce I was looking for! Won't make that mistake again. Of course I was starving when I came back. I had some wine leftover so I used it to make this dish. I also wanted to use my fancy new cutting board (which I already love!). Anyway, back to the food. It's adapted from one of my favorite episodes of Everyday Italian when Giada cooks dishes inspired by a visit to a vineyard. It's easy to make and light and perfect for summer.

Spaghetti with Pinot Grigio and Shrimp
(adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

3/4 lb whole wheat spaghetti
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 shallots, sliced
1/4 c sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c pinot grigio
2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping handfuls organic arugula
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp shredded Parmesan (optional)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes, until shallots are soft, season with salt and pepper. Add sundried tomatoes and cook for another minute. Add the shrimp and wine. Cover, and cook until the shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the pasta to the seafood mixture and toss to combine, season with salt and pepper. Add arugula and stir in gently. Serve immediately with shredded Parmesan if desired.

Venetian Rolled Pizza

I had the day off today!! Don't hate, I had to spend part of it taking my friends to the airport and running errands, but now the day and weekend are completely mine!! Last week's episode of "Everyday Italian" was about cooking for kids. I act like a kid a lot so of course the recipes appealed to me. Especially this one. I knew before I made it, that I wanted to add some kind of garlic flavor. I thought about doing a garlic paste that Jamie Oliver had used once, but then right there in Trader Joes, I found this lovely Garlic and Herb Pizza dough. WOWZA!! Like most recipes, I halved it, but I kinda wish I had made the whole thing. It's perfect for a casual get together with friends or to sit down and watch movies like I am probably going to do the rest of the day.

Venetian Rolled Pizza
(adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

Flour for dusting
1/2 lb Garlic and Herb Pizza Dough (available at Trader Joes)
4 oz organic shredded mozzarella cheese
3 slices prosciutto
1/2 c organic baby spinach
1 tbsp organic olive oil
Kosher salt for seasoning

Position a rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pizza dough to about a 6 inch diameter circle, about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella over the dough. Lay the prosciutto over the cheese in a single layer, folding over the ends if necessary. Sprinkle with spinach and top with the remaining cheese. Take one end of the circle and roll the dough up into a thin cylinder. Place the dough seam side down on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the top of the dough with olive oil sprinkle with salt. Bake for 25 minutes until the top is golden brown. Allow the pizza to cool for 10 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut the pizza into 3/4 inch pieces and serve.

Whole Wheat Pasta with a Fried Egg and Asparagus

I saw this recipe on Tastespotting the other day and this other one on Giada a few weeks ago. I have never tried an egg and pasta combination, but they both looked easy and really good. I kind of combined the recipes, tweaked a few things and voila - a fresh, easy, and very fast dinner!

Whole Wheat Pasta with a Fried Egg and Asparagus

1 oz whole wheat spaghetti
3 thin asparagus stalks, sliced in thirds
1 egg
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp shredded Parmesan
nonstick cooking spray
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook for about 3 minutes. Transfer asparagus to a bowl of water with ice. In the same water the asparagus was cooked in, boil spaghetti until al dente. Meanwhile cook the egg in a separate pan to desired done-ness (Is that a word?!) and season with salt and pepper. Drain pasta and reserve about 1 tsp of pasta water. Combine pasta, reserved water, lemon zest, lemon juice and Parmesan. Top with asparagus and then the egg. Sprinkle with more Parmesan if desired.

Please forgive the blur of this picture. I actually tried this recipe yesterday too, but it is as quick to eat as it is to make and I couldn't even get my camera out in time. Almost the same deal tonight, but I managed to get one!!

Friday Night Cocktail Party...I Mean Dinner

I generally like to eat pretty healthy during the week and then blow it out on Friday night and/or Saturday. This past Friday, I decided on cholesterol laden, favorite ingredients including Chipotle Lime Bacon Wrapped Shrimp. Sounds good, right?! They were, but this is food much more suited for a cocktail party than a weekend dinner. I also decided to make Giada's chocolate mousse, but with cinnamon instead of espresso. To. Die. For.

Chipotle Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
(adapted from Simply Recipes)

12 large peeled and deveined shrimp, tails off
2 tbsp olive oil
zest from 1 lime
juice from one lime
1 chopped chipotle in adobo plus sauce
6 strips center cut bacon, cut in half

In a small bowl, mix lime zest, lime juice olive oil and chipotle. Put the shrimp in the chipotle mixture and set aside.

Spread the bacon slices on a few layers of paper towels on a microwave-safe plate. Cover with another layer of paper towels. Microwave on high for about 1 1/2 minutes.

Preheat grill on high. Working one at a time, wrap a half piece of bacon on each piece of shrimp and thread onto pre-soaked bamboo skewers. Grill for 5 to 7 minutes on each side on each side. Baste each skewer with the remaining chipotle mixture and cook until shrimp is pink and bacon is crisp.

Cinnamon Chocolate Mousse
(adapted from Food Network)

Makes 2 servings

1/4 c 2% milk
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
about 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 c bittersweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 egg whites

In a small saucepan over medium heat stir together the milk, sugar, and cinnamon until the milk is hot (not boiling) and the sugar has dissolved.

Place the chocolate chips in a blender and pulse until finely ground. Add the milk mixture to the chocolate chips and pulse until the chocolate has melted, about one minute. Add the egg whites and pulse on high until the mixture is light, about one more minute. Transfer the mousse to 2 serving cups and refigerate for at least 3 hours or until firm.