It couldn't get any easier and any more refreshing than this! Now, really, you should eat local, but in the heat of the summer, when it feels like the Tropics, I think an occasional orange here and there is just fine.
Ingredients-
I Fennel bulb
1 Orange
Organic cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Black pepper
Chop off the ends of the fennel bulb and discard. (If you bought one with the fronds still attached, you can keep those for later.) Chop fennel into long, think slices and put in a bowl. Now, take your orange and cut the round tips off of both sides(where the stem attaches). Now you can sit your orange up and it won't roll around. Carefully trim off all of the outside. Don't leave any of the white pith on the orange. Then, slice around the middle, so you just have this square "core" remaining. Squeeze the juice from the core into the bowl and discard. (It will be full of pith.) Take the remaining juicy orange segments and slice thinly. Add to the fennel. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and combine. This salad actually benefits from a few minutes of marinating before you serve it. The anisey crunch of the fennel, the juicy sweet orange, the richness or the olive oil and the bite of the pepper together create a wonderful combination- yum!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Fresh Summer Salsa
I know tomatoes are nightshades and all, but I love them so! Ok, I am not talking about the reddish round things you find in the supermarket in the middle of January that they call tomatoes. No! Those are a depressing travesty! They have no taste whatsoever, and barely any nutrients, either. You may as well eat rubber. I am talking about heirloom tomatoes from the farmers market....or better yet....your own garden in August! My favorite are Brandywines....Black Brandywines especially. If you can get your paws on some of these....do! They are really great for things like tomato, basil and mozzarella salads or anything that you want a nice, juicy, gorgeous slice of tomato. Last weekend at the farmers market I found some beautiful grape and cherry tomatoes in all colors....red, orange, pink with green stripes....so fantastic! One of the things I like to do in the summer is make fresh tomato salsa. It goes great on a nice whitefish with some guacamole- the perfect dinner in the summer heat! Here is my salsa recipe:
Ingredients-
Organic farmers market tomatoes
Red onion
Garlic
Cilantro
Salt
Chop tomatoes, garlic, onion and cilantro and combine. Salt to taste. Yup- that's really it. Sometimes, I don't even add the garlic. You could add a touch of honey if you want it to be a little sweet, or a touch of tabasco for a bit of a kick. The most important thing is to get good quality tomatoes, because they are what provides all of the flavor.
Ingredients-
Organic farmers market tomatoes
Red onion
Garlic
Cilantro
Salt
Chop tomatoes, garlic, onion and cilantro and combine. Salt to taste. Yup- that's really it. Sometimes, I don't even add the garlic. You could add a touch of honey if you want it to be a little sweet, or a touch of tabasco for a bit of a kick. The most important thing is to get good quality tomatoes, because they are what provides all of the flavor.
PESTO!
Ok....its the end of the summer and all the basil is being harvested. Go....run to your local farmers market and buy it all up. Make pesto, and save the leftover basil by chopping it up and mixing it with organic extra virgin olive oil. Then, fill ice cube trays with the basil mixture and freeze. After they are frozen, pop out the little basil cubes and store them in the freezer to use all winter long. Here is an easy pesto recipe:
Ingredients-
Basil
Garlic cloves
Organic cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
Pine nuts
Parmesan cheese (raw)- grated
Salt
Chop basil leaves and garlic very finely, or put in a food processor, and combine with olive oil. Add cheese and salt. Combine. Everything is to taste. I usually add two medium sized cloves of garlic to a small two person food processor and fill the processor half way up with the pesto mixture. Then I taste and add. You can always add, but you can't take it back out. Add the pine nuts in when you are happy with the pesto. They look better whole. That's it!
Enjoy!
Ingredients-
Basil
Garlic cloves
Organic cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
Pine nuts
Parmesan cheese (raw)- grated
Salt
Chop basil leaves and garlic very finely, or put in a food processor, and combine with olive oil. Add cheese and salt. Combine. Everything is to taste. I usually add two medium sized cloves of garlic to a small two person food processor and fill the processor half way up with the pesto mixture. Then I taste and add. You can always add, but you can't take it back out. Add the pine nuts in when you are happy with the pesto. They look better whole. That's it!
Enjoy!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Guacamole is so easy to make!
Everyone loves this dip when I make it, so I thought I would share....just in case you've never tried this at home. Guac never seems to be good when you buy it at the store, and its so inexpensive and easy to make, that it is almost ridiculous to go to a restaurant to get it.
Here is what you need:
1 avocado
1 clove of garlic
1/2 of a lime or lemon
Salt
Choose an avocado that isn't hard, but isn't mushy. You want it to just give just a little when you touch it. Cut the avocado down the middle, divide into two halves and remove the pit. Take off the skin and discard. Chop the insides into chunks. Put the chunks in a bowl and mash until it is the consistency you like. You can mash it into a smooth paste, or keep it more rustic and varied.....whatever suits you. Next, finely mince the garlic and add it to the bowl. Squeeze about half of a lemon or lime into the mixture a little at a time, so you don't overdo the citrus, mix and taste. Add more citrus as needed. Some fruit is stronger than others, so you never know exactly how much you will need unless you try it. The same goes for the garlic. Season with salt and serve with chips.
See? How easy was that?
Here is what you need:
1 avocado
1 clove of garlic
1/2 of a lime or lemon
Salt
Choose an avocado that isn't hard, but isn't mushy. You want it to just give just a little when you touch it. Cut the avocado down the middle, divide into two halves and remove the pit. Take off the skin and discard. Chop the insides into chunks. Put the chunks in a bowl and mash until it is the consistency you like. You can mash it into a smooth paste, or keep it more rustic and varied.....whatever suits you. Next, finely mince the garlic and add it to the bowl. Squeeze about half of a lemon or lime into the mixture a little at a time, so you don't overdo the citrus, mix and taste. Add more citrus as needed. Some fruit is stronger than others, so you never know exactly how much you will need unless you try it. The same goes for the garlic. Season with salt and serve with chips.
See? How easy was that?
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Caesar Salad
Melanie Ferreira taught me how to make Caesar salad and it is the best one I've ever had!
Ingredients-
Anchovies- the ones in the jar, not the can
1/2- 1 lemon for freshly squeezed juice
2 large cloves of garlic
Romaine, chopped into large pieces
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (raw)
1 egg yolk
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Chop up garlic. Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic, about three or four anchovies (to taste) and salt. Put mash, egg yolk, a drizzle of olive oil, Parmesan cheese, black pepper and the juice from one lemon (to taste) in a bowl and mix together. Taste and re-season if necessary. You might need more salt, more pepper, more lemon, etc. When you are satisfied with the dressing, add romaine and mix well. Serve immediately.
Ingredients-
Anchovies- the ones in the jar, not the can
1/2- 1 lemon for freshly squeezed juice
2 large cloves of garlic
Romaine, chopped into large pieces
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (raw)
1 egg yolk
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Chop up garlic. Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic, about three or four anchovies (to taste) and salt. Put mash, egg yolk, a drizzle of olive oil, Parmesan cheese, black pepper and the juice from one lemon (to taste) in a bowl and mix together. Taste and re-season if necessary. You might need more salt, more pepper, more lemon, etc. When you are satisfied with the dressing, add romaine and mix well. Serve immediately.
Di Fiore Marquet Cafe
Ok.....I have to confess something. I am obsessed with Eggs Benedict. I've perfected it at home, and every time we do brunch, I feel compelled to order it. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I could eat it for breakfast lunch AND dinner! I keep a mental log of how each restaurant fares in its execution of this dish. Yesterday, in the village, I found the best one I've ever had! Every part of it was made perfectly......PERFECTLY! The English muffin was just the right combination of soft, yet crunchy. The hollandaise was buttery and lemony, with a touch of mustard, and I was able to taste all of the flavors. Nothing overpowered anything else. The egg yolk was a beautiful rich shade of orange and was runny, but not too undercooked. Even the salad on the side was fresh and properly dressed. It was a dish in its own right, unlike the gob of greens I usually get thrown on the plate. And......wait for it......the bacon was crunchy! Yeah! I found someplace that can actually cook bacon! To top it off, the service was outstanding, and the restaurant was darn cute! Original artwork that was for sale covered the warm yellow walls and gave it a cozy, yet hip feeling. The rest of the menu looked fantastic, too. I just had to order the Eggs Benedict. GREAT place!
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