Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Asiago Cheese Crouton

10/13/2013 by Laura Leave a Comment

If you didn’t know fall was here by chilly evenings then you certainly would know by the markets being filled with fabulous, and sometime freakish, squash. There are few things as warming and comforting as this creamy squash soup. There is a little heat from the cayenne and red pepper flakes, and the sweet potato gives it body. Roasting the squash, onion, apple, and potato first, maximizes the sweetness of the vegetables. You can use real cream, fat-free cream, or a non-dairy cream to make this vegan.

4 to 6 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 large, sweet onion, sliced

1 apple, peeled, cored and cut into chunks

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped

Place all in a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in 350′ oven about 45 minutes or until soft. While the squash roasts – prepare the rest of the ingredients.

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 cup finely diced celery

1 cup peeled and finely diced carrot

1 large leek, washed, chopped – not the tough green part

1 teaspoon marjoram

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 – 2 cartons, 32 ounces vegetable broth

2 cups half and half, I used “fat free”

Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot. Sauté the leeks, carrot and celery, until soft. Add the roasted squash and other vegetables to the pot. Turn heat to low, place lid on pot and “sweat” the vegetables for about 5 minutes. Add the spices and seasonings and 1 carton of the vegetable broth. Reduce heat to low and simmer about an hour.

Puree the soup, either with an immersion blender, or puree in batches in a regular blender. Adjust the thickness of the soup by adding additional vegetable broth if needed. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Add the cream, warm on very low heat.

For the crouton

I found some fabulous Rosemary and Olive Oil Asiago cheese made by Sartori. The flavors blend so well with this soup, I decided to make a little crouton for a garnish.

Toast a slice of baguette for each serving of soup. Top with a few thin slices of Asiago cheese. Place the crouton on the soup and garnish with dried rosemary.

Heirloom Tomato, Basil and Buratta Salad

09/07/2013 by Laura 3 Comments

I hesitated posting this, as it is so simple. Then I thought about February in Seattle. I will want to look at these photos in a few months to remind myself there is hope….the rain will stop, the sun will shine, the ground will thaw, we will plant a garden, and we will have gorgeous heirloom tomatoes once again.

We are to have a few more record-breaking days in the low to mid-eighties this week. The best summer I can remember in Seattle. Knowing the tomatoes will soon stop, I decided to treat myself one (hopefully not, but probably so) last time to an heirloom tomato, basil and burrata salad. It was the perfect chance. Dave was away at a gig, and I did not need to prepare a full meal. Dave does not like burrata nor would he ever consider a tomato salad a meal. He would probably fall over dead to know we paid $30 for this at Boulevard in San Francisco last summer! Anyway, spring for the buratta and heirloom tomatoes(if you don’t have them in your garden)….treat yourself, it is worth it!

Buratta, Heirloom Tomato and Basil Salad

Heirloom Tomatoes

Basil

Buratta

Fruity Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar or Balsamic Glaze

Fresh Ground Salt and Pepper

I arranged my tomatoes and cheese on a pile of wild arugula, which is not visible. (Also something I love that Dave does not care for!) Garnish with fresh basil, cracked pepper and salt and a drizzle of EVOO and balsamic. ENJOY!

Savory Tomato Tart with Pesto, Mascarpone and Ricotta Filling – and Detailed Pie Crust Instructions

09/04/2013 by Laura 1 Comment

The tomato “situation” continues at our house. Don’t think I am not grateful for the bounty of fruit this summer! It is just sad that the season is so short and it happens all at once! After making 8 quarts of sauce this weekend, I still have about 30 pounds of tomatoes, in varying stages of ripeness.

I searched the internet for a Tomato Tart recipe that would incorporate all the things in my refrigerator that I needed to use up. Pesto, Mascarpone, Ricotta, Parmesan…. I found variations, but not exactly what I wanted. Below is the combination I came up with. It was quite yummy!

Laura’s Tomato Tart

Prepare the crust

Pie crust preparation has been revolutionized by the food processor! I only started making crust about 3 years ago. Up to that point, I used the frozen or refrigerated options. There were a couple of good reasons: First, I really did not have a proper counter to roll out dough, until the kitchen remodel in 2010! Second, I think I inherited “fear of dough” from my Mom. I will never forget walking in the door from school at about age 10, just in time to hear my Mom let out a word I had not heard her use before, while watching the dough, bowl and rolling-pin go into the garbage can! I don’t remember what happened after that…. I don’t think there was a pie! Anyway, if you have a food processor, make the crust from scratch. It is worth the effort and you know exactly what is in it! Detailed instructions below. This is a very easy dough to work with.

(The Crust Recipe is Ina Garten’s, from Barefoot in Paris, 2004)

1 1/2 cups regular flour, plus more for dusting the board

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, divided

3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Have all your ingredients ready to go. (pic 1) Put the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Cut 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) of the butter into large dice, add to the bowl, and (pic 2) pulse until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, add the ice water a tablespoon at a time, and process until the dough becomes crumbly (pic 3). Don’t over process. (pic 4)Dump the dough out on a floured board, (pic 5) gather it loosely into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll the chilled dough on a well-floured surface to desired thickness, and fit it into tart pan. Roll the pin over the top to cut off the excess dough.

(Thanks for the video and music, Dave!)

Cut a square of foil to fit into the pan. Spray with olive oil spray on one side and place, oil side down, into the tart pan. Fill the foil with beans or pie weights.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and foil from the tart shell, prick the bottom all over with a fork, and bake for another 10 minutes.

Prepare the filling

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use.

8 oz. Mascarpone cheese

8 oz. Ricotta cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan

2 eggs

3 Tablespoons Pesto

Salt and Pepper

Prepare the tomatoes

Line a baking pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with olive oil spray. Slice the tomatoes into fairly thick slices and place on the paper. Season with salt and pepper and roast at 350′ about 15 minutes. Set aside until ready to top the tart. (Pre-roasting ensures the tart will not get too watery.) Tomato varieties below are Brandywine, Green Zebra and Juane Flamme.

Assemble the Tart

Pour the prepared cheese mixture into the pre-baked tart shell. Bake 75% of the way done – about 40 minutes at 350′. Place the roasted tomatoes on top and return the tart to the oven for another 10 – 15 minutes, until firm. Serve the tart at room temperature, with a little fresh basil sprinkled on top.

Summer In a Jar…Fresh Basil Pesto

08/29/2013 by Laura 2 Comments

Just like everything else in the garden, the basil was ready to be “dealt” with! What could possibly be better than Fresh Garden Pesto? If only you could have smelled the aromatic combination of basil, garlic, pine nuts, oil and cheese as it whirled together in the food processor; forming the most undeniably summeriest and tastiest of all condiments! We managed to stock the freezer with 3 pints of this little slice of summer. I’m already thinking about a Thanksgiving turkey sandwich with pesto mayonnaise or a bowl of fresh tomato soup on a rainy January day, brightened by a swirl of pesto. Oh yeah, we like it on pasta too!

Laura’s Fresh Basil Pesto

Inspired by: Ina Gartner’s Barefoot Contessa Parties!

1 1/2 cup pine nuts

15 cloves chopped garlic (more or less, your call)

10 cups packed basil leaves (no stems)

1-3 teaspoons kosher salt

1-2 teaspoons ground black pepper

4 cups, approximately, very good quality olive oil

2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Food processor fitted with the sharp blade

You will need to adjust these ingredients proportionally based on how much basil you are trying to use. Additionally, the water content of the basil itself, will impact the amount of oil needed. The quality and flavor of the pesto is determined by the quality of the basil, oil, cheese and nuts you use.

Start by pulsing the pine nuts and the garlic in the food processor, until they are coarsely chopped and evenly combined.

Add the basil leaves in batches and continue to pulse the mixture to thoroughly combine.

Once all basil has been incorporated, it is time to drizzle in the olive oil. Work slowly, stop often, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and continue to add oil until the pesto has reached your desired consistency.

Add salt and pepper. Adjust to your taste. Toss in the grated cheese and give it one more brief whirl! Spoon into clean glass jars or freezer containers. If freezing, be sure to leave about 1/2 inch of head space to allow for expansion. Add a thin layer of olive oil before sealing to ensure basil does not turn brown.

When the Fall rains come followed by the Winter snow, you can laugh them off, knowing you have a few jars of summer, tucked away in your freezer.

Summer Harvest: Peach and Roasted Beet Salad, Garden Bruschetta and Half Sour Pickles

08/10/2013 by Laura Leave a Comment

This week, I tried to keep pace with everything the garden was throwing at us! There were pickles to be made, raspberries to be preserved, green beans, beets, peaches that had to be eaten. What can I say, it’s a tough job and somebody’s got to do it!

First up is a wonderful, refreshing Peach and Roasted Beet Salad. Yup – you read that right!

The recipe is inspired by one I found on our local co-ops website, PCC Natural Markets.

Ingredients

10 to 12 small beets: red, yellow and Chiogga
3 green onions, sliced in 1/4′ slices on the diagonal
2 yellow peaches or nectarines, peeled, seeded, grilled, cooled and sliced into chunks
5 ounces baby arugula
2 ounces crumbled goat cheese

For the Dressing

1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1/2 cup olive oil

Scrub the beets. Place in a roasting pan, toss them in a generous dash of olive oil. Roast them at 350′ for about 35 minutes or until you can easily insert a knife tip into the largest one. Put the beets in a zip lock bag and place them in the refrigerator. Once cool, the skins will slide right off.

I grilled the peaches for a few minutes to intensify the flavor. I chilled them before assembling the salad.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a jar. Shake well, and refrigerate.

To plate the salad: Arrange the arugula, beets, peaches on a serving plate. Add the diced onions. Garnish with the crumbled goat cheese a sprig of rosemary. Drizzle with the dressing.

Sautéed Green Beans, Laura’s Way!

Green beans have been a part of summer my entire life. My grandpa grew them, my mom grew them and I continue to grow them today. I remember one summer driving with my mom, cross country for one of their West Coast to East Coast moves. Every dinner, for two weeks, was served with green beans! I’ll never forget the look on the server’s face at the restaurant in Springfield, MO, when I let out a big “OH NO” after asking her what the vegetable of the day was! We explained our situation, and we all had a good laugh!

Sauté a diced, sweet onion in a good amount of olive oil in a large sauté pan, that has a lid. Add a desired amount of diced bacon (or not) and cook most of the way done. Add the beans. I had a combination of wax beans and Royal Burgundy purple beans (they turn green when they cook). Saute about 5 minutes. Add about 3/4 cup of DRY VERMOUTH. Yup – an old restaurant trick. Bring to a slow simmer, cover, and steam about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and fresh dill.

Garden Fresh Bruschetta

One of our favorite summertime treats is straight from the garden bruschetta. Diced tomatoes, finely chopped garlic and fresh sliced basil, all tossed with the best olive oil and placed on a toasted slice of baguette! YUMM! We had some fresh mozzarella on hand, so I added a pinch to each, glorious serving.

Half Sour Pickles

I absolutely LOVE the fresh, bright green pickles that are served “all you can eat” style at any good deli! I had no idea how simple they were to make! Thanks to a very productive pickling cucumber plant, I now have my own jar of half sours, bubbling away in my refrigerator. I found the recipe in The Victory Garden cookbook.

Ingredients

12 pickling cucumbers, about 3-4″

4-5 cloves of garlic (original recipe calls for 1)

6-8 sprigs fresh dill

1/2 teaspoon dill seeds

1 tablespoon pickling spices

1/4 cup kosher salt

1/4 cup white vinegar

2 1/2 quarts of water

Thoroughly clean the cucumbers. Halve or quarter them. Wash the dill. Peel and flatten the garlic. Pack the cucumbers, dill, garlic, dill seed and pickling spice in a large glass jar, a pickle crock or a big glass bowl. You will want to make sure the pickles will be covered with at least two inches of the water.

Bring the salt and the water to a boil. Boil a full two minutes. Pour the brine over the cukes. Cover the jar with cheesecloth and secure it with a rubber band. Let the pickles sit on your counter for 2-3 days. The brine will get cloudy as fermentation occurs. Once fermented to your taste, add the 1/4 of vinegar, cover and refrigerate. They will keep forever under refrigeration, but believe me, they won’t last that long!

Raspberry Jam

I am not quite sure what motivated me to purchase a flat of raspberries at the farmers market, with everything else going on! I do have raspberries in the garden, but only enough to add to my morning yogurt or smoothy each day. You can see, they were hard to resist. I love using raspberry jam in my thumbprint cookies at Christmas. This year, they will be extra special 100% home made!

Raspberry Jam*

I used 6 pints of fresh raspberries, about 4 cups of sugar, and the juice of one lemon. I mashed the berries a bit with a potato masher. I cooked the berries, sugar and lemon juice to a temperature of 220′, per my candy thermometer. I processed the jam in 12 1/2 pint jars, for about 20 minutes. It is absolutely delicious!

*Note – there are 100’s of fabulous step by step instructions on the internet, for canning jams. I was in a hurry and did not shoot the entire process, just the final product. It is fun and easy and I encourage you to give it a try with your favorite fruit or berry!

Ravioli with Creamy Pesto, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Basil, and Pine Nuts

08/01/2013 by Laura Leave a Comment

I absolutely adore summer when my garden, or the farmers market, dictate what is for supper. Last week we purchased beautiful, locally made ravioli from La Pasta. It has been in the back of my mind since we brought it home and popped it in the freezer. Also in the back of my mind was a jar of “The World’s Greatest Pesto” (per the signage) that I brought back from Eataly a few weeks earlier. While I have everything on hand to make pesto, it was one of those days I wanted something quick. All this coupled with the bumper crop of ripe cherry tomatoes, I knew what we would make for dinner!

Ingredients

4-6 Ounces Pesto, homemade, store bought, your favorite one

6 ounces fresh cream

1 pound fresh ravioli (ours was a 4 cheese blend)

12 -15 oven roasted cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup slivered basil, plus a little more for garnish

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus a little more for garnish

Directions

Roast the cherry tomatoes in a 375′ oven in a small pan coated with olive oil, for about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper before placing in oven. Remove from oven and set aside.

Toast the pine nuts over low heat in a small frying pan. Watch carefully as they easily burn. Remove from heat and set aside.

Grate the parmesan cheese, set aside.

Slice the basil, set aside.

Fill a pasta pot with water. Add salt, bring to boil. Meanwhile – prepare the sauce.

Warm a large sauté pan over low heat. Add a touch of olive oil. Add in the pesto and warm.

Add the parmesan, the basil and the cream. Stir gently to melt the cheese and warm the sauce.

Prepare the ravioli according to directions. (Fresh ravioli usually cook perfectly in about 8 minutes.) Drain the ravioli. Add to the sauté pan.

Add the toasted pine nuts, slivered basil and roasted tomatoes. Garnish with parmesan cheese. Serve with a cold, crisp salad, crusty Italian bread and a light Pinot Grigio.

Enjoy!

Grilled Apricot, Arugula and Buratta Salad with Balsamic Glaze

07/27/2013 by Laura Leave a Comment

While in New York last month, I had a spinach, apricot and burrata salad at a restaurant in Chelsea Market. It sounded way better than it actually was. The apricots were not fully ripe and the spinach was “undressed”. I knew I could make the salad that I thought I was going to be getting that day! With a few apricots from the farmers market, arugula from the garden, a “splurge” of a big ball of fresh burrata and a recently received bottle of Balsamic Glaze, from American Roland Foods, I was ready to build the perfect summer salad. I thought it went beautifully with the smoked pork shoulder Dave worked on all day!

Ingredients

5 fresh, ripe apricots – cut in half, grilled lightly

Fruity Olive oil, I like California Olive Ranch Arbequina

Salt and Pepper

Handful of fresh arugula or other salad greens

Ball of Burrata cheese

Balsamic Glaze

Since the grill was on to finish up Dave’s smoked pork shoulder, I placed the apricot halves on a very hot grill, cut side down, about 3 minutes. This greatly increased the sweetness and intensity of the apricot. I then put them in the refrigerator to stop the cooking and cool down. Before plating, I cut each half into thirds.

Toss the arugula in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Move the greens to a serving dish.

Place the burrata in the middle of the greens. Add the apricots. Drizzle with Balsamic Glaze.

Smoked Pork Shoulder

Dave finally got around to firing up his smoker for the first time this summer. He spent the whole day tending to a pork roast. He gave the roast a rub down with secret grilling spices the night before. He brought the roast to room temperature, before placing it in the smoker. The roast smoked about 8 hours.