vidalia & basil season

On Sunday morning, I made a Vidalia Onion and Sweet Basil tomato sauce. My mom suggested I pick up a few Pomi tomato boxes for the base. These tomatoes are delicious and I had a few coupons so it was quite a deal!
1 large Vidalia sweet onion
3/4 cup (big handful) fresh basil, chopped
2 boxes Pomi Chopped Tomatoes
1 box Pomi Strained Tomatoes
2 tablespoons EVOO
3 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 teaspoon crushed red chile pepper
2-3 teaspoon dried oregano
3 teaspoon Kosher salt
1-2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Dice the onion and sautee until soft in EVOO (about 8 to 10 minutes over medium/high heat), stirring so onion doesn't burn. Lower heat to medium/low and add garlic and one box of chopped tomatoes. Stir well, add strained tomatoes and chile pepper, oregano, kosher salt and pepper. Turn off heat, add final box of chopped tomatoes and fresh basil. Stir well and taste for seasoning balance.

This recipe made about 2 quarts and a pint. Top with a bit of plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn,  and freeze until you are ready to enjoy! We are going to have some later this week with meatballs & pasta.
Happy Sunday all!

summer vegfest

Summer vegetables are clearly in full-swing and today I picked up some zucchini, tomatoes and sweet onions. Paired with cumin and a flaky tilapia, this makes a great week-night dinner.

1 cup quinoa
1 can black beans (rinsed)
2 small chopped tomatoes 
2-3 small sliced zucchini 
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
1 teaspoon cumin (divided in half)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tilapia fillets (about 1 lb. total) 
half of a large sweet onion (or a small onion), diced
4-5 dashes Tabasco
Cook quinoa as package directs. Meanwhile, in a saute pan over medium heat, cook beans and vegetables with 1 tbsp oil, lemon juice, cumin and Tabasco until warm, about 15 minutes. Season with S&P and 1/2 teaspoon cumin. Remove vegetables and beans to a bowl and add some EVOO to the pan. In a frying pan over medium-high heat, cook fish in remaining 2 tbsp oil until browned, 5 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cumin over fish. Serve fish over quinoa with vegetable and bean mixture atop. 
The vegetable mix yields leftovers that are great with just quinoa or cous cous. Enjoy!

strawberry basil mojito

*makes 2 cocktails*
5-6 large strawberries, sliced

6-8 basil leaves, torn

simple syrup

Bacardi White Rum

club soda

Muddle 2-3 strawberries, about 3-4 basil leaves and 2 tablespoons simple syrup (adjust depending on how sweet you like your cocktails) in a tall glass. Add one to two shots of Bacardi and top off with club soda. Give a slight stir and garnish with a strawberry.

Very refreshing and not too sweet! This is a great way to use up some basil from the summer garden.

some of this and some of that

Last weekend, Vance and I celebrated our two year anniversary! We had a great dinner Saturday night at Sardinia and went to the driving range on Sunday (a little bit of something for everyone). Vance made us some delicious Planter's Punch. He made the drinks and I did the cookin'.

Wild Mushroom Ragoût on Crispy Polenta with Gruyere Cheese via Bon Appetite

Polenta

2 cups whole milk

2 cups low-salt chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 cup polenta (coarse cornmeal)

1/2 cup (packed) coarsely grated Gruyere cheese

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

Mushroom Ragout

3 tablespoons butter, divided

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 1/2 pounds assorted wild mushrooms (such as oyster, crimini, and stemmed shiitake), thickly sliced

1/4 cup finely chopped shallots

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided

Generously butter 13x9x1- inch baking sheet. Bring milk, broth, and bay leaf to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove saucepan from heat; cover and let steep 20 minutes to allow flavors to develop. Discard bay leaf. Bring liquid to boil. Gradually add polenta, whisking constantly until smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until polenta is very thick, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Stir in cheese and butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer polenta to prepared 13x9x1-inch baking sheet. Using wet hands, press polenta evenly over sheet to edges. Chill until firm, at least 3 hours. Cut polenta into 20 squares. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons oil in large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add all mushrooms and sauté until tender and browned, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add shallots and balsamic vinegar; sauté until tender, about 2 minutes. Season lightly to taste with salt and pepper. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm mushrooms in large skillet over medium-high heat until heated through. Add broth and simmer 1 minute. Stir in heavy cream and half of parsley. Season mushroom ragout to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 300°F. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add polenta squares to skillet and cook until browned, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet and keep warm in oven while cooking remaining polenta squares. Arrange 2 polenta squares on each plate. Top each with warm mushroom ragout; sprinkle with grated Gruyere cheese and remaining parsley and serve. This dish was a touch labor intensive for an appetizer, but would be great paired with salad for dinner.

Eggplant with Roasted Bell Pepper, Quinoa & Goat Cheese
3 tablespoons oil, divided
½ onion, diced
1 large eggplant, quartered lengthwise and then chopped ½-1 inch thick
3 cloves garlic, diced, divided
1 small jalapeno, diced (seeds removed)
1 splash balsamic vinegar
½ cup sliced roasted red peppers
½ cup crumbled goat cheese
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1½ cups chicken or vegetable broth
In a pot heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add quinoa and garlic. Cook stirring occasionally for a few minutes. Add broth, turn heat to high until it comes to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, covered for 15-20 minutes, or until water is absorbed. In a pan heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook for a few minutes then add eggplant. Add another tablespoon of olive oil and salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes. Add 2 cloves chopped garlic, balsamic vinegar, roasted pepper, and the jalapeno. Cook for a few minutes, then remove from heat. Serve over quinoa with goat cheese.

memorial day weekend '13

Memorial Day is already here - I can't believe we have been our house a for a year this weekend! Friday night, Vance and I picked up a growler of Southern Tier Hop Sun at the Filling Station in 12 South and took it to Frothy Monkey to have with dinner. I hit up the Nashville Flea Market, saw The Reluctant Fundamentalist at Belcourt with Courtney and my DC friend, Jaimie, was in town yesterday! What a great long weekend.

My friend Jill was so kind last week as she gave Vance and I some produce and eggs from her family's CSA basket.

the green above is kohlrabi - cabbage/broccoli flavor - very good.

Kohlrabi & Radish Salad over Arugula

small kohlrabi julienned (I read the best flavor come from those no larger than a 

tennis ball)

1 cup tightly packed grated carrots

4-5 radishes, sliced paper thin

1 green onion

2-3 cups loosely packed arugula

Dressing

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

juice from 1/4 lime

1 tsp honey5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 pinches of sea salt

a few grinds of fresh black pepper 

the green frond of a green onion, chopped

Use a vegetable peeler or knife to remove the outer layer of the kohlrabi. Using a mandolin or knife, carefully slice the kohlrabi into thin sheet slices. Slice the radishes paper thin as well. On a plate with a high lip assemble the kohlrabi slices, grated carrots, and radishes. Make the dressing in a small bowl by whisking together Dijon, wine vinegar, lime juice, and honey.  Stream in olive oil and whisk until combined. Season with sea salt, black pepper and green onions. Pour over slaw, covering all slices. Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Serves 2-4 as side salad. We enjoyed this salad with salmon - paired with some tofu it would be a great meatless Monday.

Tonight is turkey & spinach burgers, macaroni salad, baked beans and coleslaw. Happy Memorial Day!

semi-homemade

When I was in DC this winter, I stocked up on ravioli from Eastern Market. Last night we enjoyed the last frozen batch of Parmesan ravioli (small and delicious). I wanted to jazz up this slightly "blah" dish so I added some cherry tomatoes and made a quick wine & cream sauce. I like having a lighter homemade sauce than a heavy jarred cream sauce.

16 oz ravioli

2 tablespoons EVOO

2 green onions

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 parsley

pint of cherry tomatoes

S&P to taste

Prepare ravioli as directions note (on package, etc.). While the ravioli are cooking, heat about 2 tablespoons of EVOO over medium heat. Sauté 2 green onions (chopped white and green parts). Add 1 cup dry white wine and whisk until alcohol cooks off - roughly 5 minutes. Pour in about half cup of heavy cream, whisking quickly. Generously salt and pepper. Add cherry tomatoes - stirring constantly. Chop about 1/4 cup of parsley and add to the pan. Pour tomatoes and cream sauce over ravioli and serve with salad. 

there's something about tequila

...mixed with lime and cucumber (and some other flavors) - so good!

.

In a shaker, combine 3 parts tequila, 3 parts fresh lime juice, 1.5 parts Triple Sec, .5 part simple syrup - shake with ice. This makes a little more than 2 cocktails. Coat the rim of your glass with simple syrup and dip in Kosher salt. Place a few chunks of cucumber and 2 to 3 slices of jalapeno in the bottom of the glass and muddle well. Fill glass with ice and strain in margarita garnish with lime and cucumber slice.

Spicy cucumber margaritas on a Friday night.