Harvest Tomato Sauce by Bracco Farms

September 18, 2015 By

Last week, when I received my Bracco Farms CSA box, I was a bit overwhelmed with the huge share of gorgeous tomatoes I received. Considering I have a healthy harvest of my own tomatoes, I was a bit weary of what I’d do with all those beauties – I love tomatoes, but one can only consume so many in a week’s time!

The lovely Christa at Bracco Farms, without prompting, must have a read my mind and asked if I needed a quick and easy tomato sauce that freezes well for any extra tomatoes I might have…YES!!!!!!!!!!

Here’s a simple sauce recipe Christa shared with me. It was exactly what I was looking for.

Chop the large tomatoes into chunks, the cherry tomatoes into halves and put them all together in a big pot. 

Drizzle a fair amount of olive oil (or any oil) over them with some salt.  DO NOT COVER OR ADD WATER.  Bring to a simmer.  Simmer for about ½ hour to release some of the natural water.

Cool and then freeze for the winter!

Please post a comment if you use this simple recipe for your extra harvest tomatoes.

Thanks,

Veronique

Filed Under: American, Sauce, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , ,
7 September 2015 Vegetarian Stuffed Eggplant

Vegetarian Stuffed Eggplant

September 7, 2015 By

 

I try to abide by my #MeatlessMonday promise when I can and am always looking for ways to use more vegetables in my diet so this weekend, I found beautiful mauve round eggplants that I prepared two ways – meat-stuffed and vegetarian.

These single-serve eggplants are great to fix on the weekend to bring for work lunches during the week. They’re also beautiful served as a starter at a dinner party and a breeze as they can be made in advance and reheated in time for dinner.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups cooked Spanish rice, homemade or commercial (I used Goya brand Arroz con Tomate)
  • 4 ounces crumbled Feta cheese
  • ½ tsp. dried mint
  • 2 Tbsp. golden raisins
  • 4 Tbsp. Easy Greek Vinaigrette
  • Two small mauve round eggplants (or any small round eggplants)
  • ½ tsp. sea salt
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the rice, Feta, mint, raisins and 2 tablespoons of Greek Vinaigrette. Set aside.
  3. Using a paring knife and a teaspoon, remove the very top of the eggplants and then remove most of the pulp from the interior being careful not to pierce through the outer skin. See photo as reference.
  4. Rub the sea salt on the inside of each eggplant.
  5. Fill the cored eggplants with the rice stuffing then drizzle with the olive oil.
  6. Place the stuffed eggplants in a Pyrex baking dish with tall sides. If the eggplant won’t stand up straight, use a crumpled piece of foil to create a small “stand” for them.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes and either serve hot or at room temperature with a drizzle of the remaining vinaigrette.

Serves 2.

Filed Under: American, Cheese, Entrees, Sides, Starters, Vegetables, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , ,
22 August 2015 S’mores on a Stick

S’mores on a Stick

August 22, 2015 By

Smores on a StickLast week was #NationalSmoresDay – who knew there was such a day!! I didn’t grow up doing s’mores in Quebec, we did roasted marshmallows, but s’mores just weren’t something we knew about.

While I love the gooey version right off the campfire, I recently made these cute s’mores on a stick for a party. They were super easy to make and looked even cuter on a serving platter.

Ingredients:

  • 10 marshmallows
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup Graham cracker crumbs

Directions:

  1. Place a Popsicle stick or other wooden skewer in the center of each marshmallows.
  2. Melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave for about a minute.
  3. Dip each marshmallow in the melted chocolate.
  4. Coat the chocolate with Graham cracker crumbs.
  5. Allow the chocolate to set in a cool place.

Makes 10 s’mores treats.

Filed Under: American, Chocolate, Desserts Tagged With: , , ,
21 August 2015 Rigatoni with Lamb Bolognese and Mint Ricotta

Rigatoni with Lamb Bolognese and Mint Ricotta

August 21, 2015 By

Rigatoni with Lamb BologneseI love lamb and am always looking for new ways to prepare it at home. This past weekend, I have ground lamb left and since my guy had asked me to make meat sauce, I decided to use the lamb to make it, but add some lamb-friendly flavors. I did add some ground pork as the lamb is just too lean, in my opinion, for this type of sauce.

The rigatoni I like to use is by Delverde Pasta, the best dry pasta I’ve come across. The dollop of mint sheep’s ricotta just adds a new texture to the dish and amazing flavor. There will be sauce leftover after this recipe is made and it can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Sauce Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 medium carrots, finely diced
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 3/4 pound ground pork
  • 3/4 pound ground Lamb
  • 3 28-ounce can Italian-style tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 6-ounce can of tomato paste
  • ½ cup Marsala wine
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp. each, dry mint and salt
  • ½ tsp. pepper

Assembly Ingredients:

  • 1 cup sheep’s milk ricotta (could use high quality cow’s milk ricotta), at room temperature
  • 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
  • 16-ounce box of rigatoni, cook to al dente, water drained and pasta returned to the cooking pot

Sauce Directions:

  1. In a heavy-bottom saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high, warm the olive oil. Add carrots and onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Reduce heat to medium and cook until vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Increase heat to high, add meats and sauté until no longer pink, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add tomatoes and their juices, the tomato paste, wine and the spices and stir well. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours.

Assembly Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta and the mint.
  2. Add enough cooked sauce to the pasta in the pot to coat it, about 4 cups for the six servings.
  3. Serve the pasta in bowls and add a tablespoonful of ricotta to each bowl. Combine the ricotta with the pasta to create a creamy mixture.

6 Servings.

Filed Under: American, Entrees, Italian, Lamb, Sauce Tagged With: , , ,
10 August 2015 Easy Vegetable Tian

Easy Vegetable Tian

August 10, 2015 By

Cooked TianI participate in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program (see details on my Bracco Farms CSA experience) where the basic idea is that a farmer grows for a group of members who have purchased “shares” in the harvest. Every two weeks, I get a box full of incredibly-fresh, organic, non-GMO produce that I’ve been having a lot of fun cooking with.

Last week, I received three beautiful summer squashes that were gigantic in size. I decided to make a completely meat-free dish with them to help celebrate #MeatlessMonday.

A vegetable tian can really incorporate a wide variety of fresh produce….tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, squashes, eggplants…the list goes on. This version is very simple – onions, squashes and yellow tomatoes from my garden. With just a grating of Parmesan at the end of the cooking process, this tian can be served on its own as a light dish or with a salad, piece of fish/chicken/meat.

Ingredients:

  1. 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  2. 1 medium onion, thinly-sliced
  3. 1 garlic clove, minced
  4. 1 large yellow squash, thinly-sliced
  5. 1 green squash, thinly-sliced
  6. 2 large tomatoes, thinly-sliced
  7. ½ tsp. each salt, pepper and oregano
  8. 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  9. 3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. You could use any shaped oven-proof dish here.
  3. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the vegetable oil then add the onion. Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic to the cooked onion and continue sautéing for an additional minute. Place the onion-garlic mixture on the bottom of the pie plate.
  4. Arrange the squashes and tomato slices in a spiral pattern over the onions and garlic, alternating between each vegetable.
  5. Sprinkle the salt, pepper and oregano over the vegetables then drizzle with the olive oil. Place the dish in the oven and cook for 30 minutes.
  6. Remove the dish from the oven, turn the broiler on high and sprinkle the Parmesan over the vegetables. Place the dish under the broiler for 4-5 minutes or until the vegetables have browned. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for two minutes, then serve.

Makes 4 generous servings.  

Filed Under: American, Entrees, Sides, Vegetables, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , ,
1 June 2015 Almost Guilt-Free Individual Eggplant Parmesan

Almost Guilt-Free Individual Eggplant Parmesan

June 1, 2015 By

Eggplant ParmesanSometimes, when I’m in the grocery store, produce just speaks to me. On this last trip, eggplants screamed for me to take them home (well, seemed like they were screaming).

While I love breading and flying eggplant for eggplant Parmesan, I wanted this version to be less indulgent and lighter so I grilled sliced eggplant and made individual servings.

This technique of making single servings guarantees we won’t overeat, well, unless we decide to have a couple of servings.

The use of my Basil-Packed Marinara Sauce keeps this dish fresh and is a good use of basil and tomatoes as crops are plentiful.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large, medium girth eggplant, sliced in 8 thin disks
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • ½ tsp. each salt, pepper
  • 3 cups Basil-Packed Marinara Sauce (could use store-bought)
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese   

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Lightly oil each side of the eggplant disks then salt and pepper them. Heat a grill to medium-high heat and grill the eggplant disks for 3 minutes on each side. Alternatively, use a grill pan to cook the eggplant.
  3. Place 4 ramekins on a baking sheet. Add a tablespoon of marinara sauce to each ramekin and top with a grilled eggplant disk. Top each eggplant disk with ½ teaspoon Parmesan and 1 teaspoon Mozzarella. Add a tablespoon of marinara, another eggplant disk and top with the remaining cheeses.
  4. Cook the eggplant Parmesans for 10 minutes, turn the broiler to high and cook an additional 4 minutes or until the cheesy tops have browned.
  5. Serve as a starter or as a side dish alongside grilled Italian sausages with the remaining marinara sauce.

Makes 4 side dishes.

Filed Under: American, Cheese, Italian, Sides, Starters, Vegetables, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , , ,
31 May 2015 Basil-Packed Marinara Sauce

Basil-Packed Marinara Sauce

May 31, 2015 By

Marinara SauceMy local grocery store had beautiful, organic Roma tomatoes this morning so I was inspired to make a light marinara sauce to complement my Almost Guilt-Free Individual Eggplant Parmesan.

The quick recipe calls for a food processor, but if you don’t have this handy kitchen appliance, use a blender or hand-chop the tomatoes.

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ tsp. each salt, pepper, dried basil and sugar
  • 8 Roma tomatoes, pureed in the food processor
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Directions

  • Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and sauté for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the salt, pepper, dried basil and sugar and cook for 1 more minute.
  • While the onion/garlic mixture is cooking, place the tomatoes in a food processor and pulse for about 30 seconds or until mostly liquid with a few small tomato pieces.
  • Add the pureed tomatoes to the onion mixture in the saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the fresh basil right before serving.

Make about 3 cups.

Notes: Finished sauce can be cooled, placed in airtight containers and frozen for a month. It can also be refrigerated for 3 days.

Filed Under: American, Italian, Sauce, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , , ,
26 May 2015 Chocolate Lava Cake in a Minute

Chocolate Lava Cake in a Minute

May 26, 2015 By

Chocolate Lava CakesFirst off, there is indeed a reason why I’m sharing a recipe that’s completely not “from scratch” and that’s cooked in the microwave, of all things. Every Memorial Day, friends come up from Florida to celebrate with us and we’ve gotten in the habit of finding the most hands off recipes on the net and reproducing them for one of our dinners to see if our guests notice the difference. Last year, we did the embarrassing 60 Second Mixed Berry Cobbler that our friends LOVED. This year, I picked a chocolate lava cake recipe that uses a brownie mix and is cooked in the microwave. Was I doubtful this would work and would actually be edible – YES!!!

The main reason I picked this recipe is that it could be made way in advance and just cooked (microwaved) at the last minute. The addition of an extra egg over what the brownie mix calls for creates a more cakey brownie, so closer to a true chocolate lava cake. Was this the best version of this popular dessert I’ve had – nope. Was it pretty good considering the 2 minutes it took to make and the 5 minutes it took to cook – yes. I cooked 4 cakes at a time, but each cake would cook for a minute if microwaved as a single serving.

While cooking, each cake puffs up like a soufflé and once it comes out of the microwave, it deflates leaving room for a scoop of ice cream in the jars. Using good quality ice cream does improve these babies.  

PARTY TIP: You can make the cakes up to step 4 below, cover each jar with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Just bring to room temperature before continuing to step 5, the cooking part.

Ingredients:

  • 1 brownie mix (I used Pillsbury Chocolate Fudge in a family size for 9×13 pan) prepared to package directions
  • 1 large egg
  • 16 Dove Milk Chocolate Promise individual chocolates
  • Vanilla ice cream

Directions:

  1. To the brownie batter made to package directions, add the egg and stir to combine.
  2. Coat 8 (6 oz) canning jars (or other microwave-safe small containers) with cooking spray.
  3. Spoon about 1/3 of a cup of batter in each jar – it shouldn’t be more than half full.
  4. Place 2 of the Dove chocolates in the center of the batter in the jars and cover them with batter.
  5. Microwave on full power for 1 minute per cake. I cooked 4 cakes at a time for 2 ½ minutes total.
  6. Serve the cakes, topped with a scoop of ice cream, while still warm.

Makes 8 individual servings.

I used this recipe as inspiration.

Filed Under: American, Chocolate, Desserts Tagged With: , , , , ,
20 April 2015 Lobster Thermidor Dip

Lobster Thermidor Dip

April 20, 2015 By

Lobster Thermidor DipWhen I was a small kid growing up in Quebec in the late 70s and early 80s, THE indulgent, luxurious dish one could treat herself to was Lobster Thermidor. I remember my mom raving about it and all I knew is that only the best restaurants served it.

According to Wikipedia, “Lobster Thermidor was created in 1894 by Marie’s, a Parisian restaurant near the theatre Comédie Française, to honor the opening of the play Thermidor by Victorien Sardou”.

In this dip, I used some of the flavors of the original dish to create a casual way to enjoy it. Don’t have any lobster on hand? Don’t fret – just use crab or shrimps.

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 3 Tbs. flour
  • 2 Tbs. dry sherry or brandy
  • 2 Tbs. dry white wine
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tbs. minced flat leaf parsley
  • 1 cup heavy cream (could use light cream)
  • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp. each salt and pepper
  • 2 cups cooked fresh lobster meat, cut into ½-inch pieces
  • ½ cup grated Gruyere cheese

Directions:

  1. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Add the shallots and sauté 1 minute, stirring to ensure even cooking. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Add the sherry (or brandy), the white wine and the chicken broth and simmer 4 minutes, whisking frequently.
  2. Add the Parmesan cheese, the parsley, the cream and the Dijon mustard and simmer over medium-low heat for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with the salt and pepper.
  3. Add the lobster meat and gently stir to coat with the sauce.
  4. Pour the lobster mixture in a shallow, oven-safe baking dish. Sprinkle with the Gruyere cheese and place under broiler for 1 minute or until cheese is melted and beginning to brown. 
  5. Serve with crackers and crudités.

6 servings.

Filed Under: Cheese, French, Seafood, Starters Tagged With: , ,
16 April 2015 Tomato Basil Soup

Tomato Basil Soup

April 16, 2015 By

Tomato SoupThis great soup is adapted from my popular Tomato Basil Bisque which uses lots of cream and butter. This lightened version is satisfying and totally comforting (and easier on the figure just ahead of bathing suit season).

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 6 celery ribs, diced
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
  • 3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, with their juices
  • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped, loosely packed basil leaves
  • 2 tsp. granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. pepper
  • 2/3 cup reduced-fat milk

Vegetable SauteeingDirections:

  1. Add the oil to a large saucepan over medium-high heat and sauté the celery, onion and red pepper for 5-6 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes and the tomato paste and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Remove from the heat. Stir in the basil, sugar, salt, pepper and milk. Cool for about 5 minutes.
  3. Transfer half of the soup to a blender. Process for about 2 minutes, until smooth. Return to the pan and process the rest of the soup. Serve right away by reheating for 2 minutes over medium-high heat or store in the refrigerator in air-tight containers until ready to use. Can be made up to 3 days ahead of serving.

Yield: 6 servings.

Filed Under: American, Soups, Vegetables, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »