Grilled Asparagus and Melon Salad

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Although we've been battling the elements up here in the northeast, we did get in a few outdoor activities. I am lucky enough to volunteer for an amazing organization, Girls on the Run, in which we help young girls train to run a 5k at the end of their school semester. Their big race was this weekend, and I am thanking the heavens that the rain held off just long enough for all of them to finish. It's so inspiring to see 3rd and 4th graders run a whole 3.1 miles. Great job girls! I never would have been able to do that at their age! We also played a little golf, but mainly stayed glued to the tv watching the US Open (Brad is actually there today to see the finals - lucky guy!). 

Now onto the goods. This is a delicious and refreshing salad that would be perfect for a barbecue or any summer time outing. This sucker has everything - savory, salty, crunchy, and sweet. It's colorful and is really beautiful when all put together. It's rather hearty, but the dressing and sweet melon keep it feeling light, making it a great dish to serve when the weather warms up (if that will ever happen!). I never would have thought of combining all of these ingredients together, but they work surprisingly well and really balance each other out. If nothing else, the idea of baking the prosciutto into little crisps is genius!

Grilled Asparagus and Melon Salad

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis 

2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

1 pound asparagus, trimmed

extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 small melon, cubed

4 ounces mozzarella, cubed

2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted

• Preheat oven to 350℉.
• Line baking sheet with parchment, and place strips of prosciutto on top. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until crisp.
• Place prosciutto on paper towel, then roughly crumble.
• Toss together asparagus and 2 teaspoons olive oil in a medium bowl, and season with S&P.
• Heat grill pan over medium-high, and cook asparagus for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until tender but still crisp.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil. 
• Season to taste with S&P, add melon and cheese and toss until combined.
• Arrange asparagus on platter, then, using a slotted spoon, top with melon and cheese.
• Drizzle remaining vinaigrette over top, and sprinkle with prosciutto and pine nuts.

Roasted Pepper Guacamole

In my somewhat humble opinion, this is the BEST guacamole ever. I've tried just about every version under the sun, from the minimalist type they make in Cabo, to the elaborate types made table side at fancy NYC restaurants, and this one is by far my favorite. It's the roasted garlic and red peppers that add just a bit of a unique flavor and really separate this one from the pack.

I've been making this version for years now (seriously, it was published in CL in 2006), and it's a hit every single time. Pair this guacamole with some tortilla chips and a big michelada and you will have yourself one heck of a Cinco de Mayo celebration!

Roasted Pepper Guacamole

slightly adapted from Cooking Light

5 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 medium red bell pepper

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (more or less depending on preference)

2 tablespoons green onions, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (additional to taste)

1 ripe avocado, peeled, seeded, and coarsely mashed

• Preheat oven to 450℉.
• Wrap garlic cloves in aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes, or until soft.
• Set aside to cool, then remove skins and, in a medium sized bowl, coarsely mash with a fork.
• Preheat broiler.
• Slice pepper in half and remove seeds.
• Place skin side up on a foil lined baking sheet, and press down with hand to flatten.
• Broil for 15 minutes, turning frequently, until skin is blackened.
• Wrap pepper in the aluminum foil and let stand for 10 minutes.
• Peel skin off pepper and finely chop.
• Combine all ingredients to the garlic and stir well.

Milos Tsatsiki

Brad and I love to try new restaurants in the city. Our list of "to visits" is constantly growing, and I think we would probably have to eat out every night for the next month just to scratch off all the ones we currently have down. That being said, more often than not, we are constantly revisiting our favorites. We have our favorite brunch spot, local Italian, 24-hour diner and even our favorites for special occasions. I love trying new places, especially with the amazing press that many of the ones here in the city get, but I also crave the dishes from our most frequented spots.

One of the restaurants that we find ourselves at quite often is Estiatorio Milos. Milos is a Greek restaurant with a focus on seafood. Everything is super fresh, from the tomatoes, which they use for an unbelievable tomato salad, to the fish, which is actually laid out on ice for you to go up and select. We frequent Milos often in the summer for a light dinner and a bottle of white wine. We are especially fond of the Milos Special - which is thin cut and lightly fried pieces of zucchini, eggplant and saganaki cheese served with a phenomenal tsatsiki.

When I saw the recipe for their tsatsiki in the May 2008 Gourmet I almost screamed! It tastes exactly like it does in the restaurant, and is super simple to make. We put this on all kinds of veggies and even topped whole pitas with it for lunch. It has a creamy and tangy base thanks to the Greek yogurt, but the cucumber keeps it light and refreshing. I made a double batch of this and enjoyed pulling it out for a snack all week long. This would be an absolutely perfect dip with a big veggie plate.

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes from last week! We are feeling much better now and are excited that it is finally warming up!

Milos Tsatsiki

Courtesy Estiatorio Milos 

1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons EVOO

1 cup Greek yogurt

• Toss cucumber with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a colander and let drain for at least 15 minutes.
• Mash minced garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt, using back of knife, until it forms a paste.
• Whisk together garlic paste, EVOO, yogurt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Using hands, squeeze out any excess moisture from cucumbers, then fold into yogurt.
• Season with salt if necessary.

Grape and Rosemary Foccacia

This is going to be a real quick post today, because we are a house of sickies! Brad and me both have a bug, and even little Suki is sick. Taking care of sick dog when you yourself feel like your head is going to explode -- is this a prep course for kids, or what?! 

But on to the fun stuff - I've been saving this recipe for a while to show ya'll, and was hoping I would have a chance to make it again and take better pictures, but oh well, I think you will get the gist. I have made this so many times and it has always come out perfect. It is great as an appetizer or a snack, and our guests love it. It's so easy to throw together, I know you'll love it too. It's essentially just pizza dough dotted with grapes, rosemary, shallots and olive oil. And if you use store bought pizza dough, all the better and easier on you. I've used homemade and the stuff from the can, and it was awesome with both.

The grapes look like little jewels and get all juicy and delicious when they heat up. The rosemary also adds a nice woodsy flavor that is a great contrast to the sweet grapes. Also use good sea salt on this, as it is a really important flavor component. The focaccia is best served warm, but you can assemble it and slip it in the oven when you are ready.

I also want to give a huge THANK-YOU to Kendra of Homegrown Housewife for this award. So sweet!! Kendra has a great blog, and a really awesome recent post full of household tips. Please be sure to check her out! I want to pass this one along to the duo of Jessi and Michael over at Chef Fresco for their amazing blog. They have some really gorgeous food, and I think it's even better that they like to share the kitchen with each other!

I'm now off to the vet for the furry sick one, but hope everyone has a fantastic weekend and is hopefully getting some glorious spring weather!

Grape and Rosemary Focaccia

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis (that's 2 in a row from Giada - I love that girl!)

1 pound pizza dough

2 tablespoons EVOO

coarse sea salt

1 garlic clove, minced

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, roughly chopped

1/2 cup green grapes

1/2 cup red grapes

• Preheat oven to 400℉.
• Shape pizza dough into a rectangle, and place on parchment lined baking sheet.
• Brush the dough with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt, garlic, shallot and rosemary.
• Arrange grapes and gently dress into dough.
• Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Slice into squares, and serve warm.

Perfect St. Patrick's Day Appetizer

We are having a few friends over this weekend for a pre-St. Pattie's Day/board game night. I'm cooking up a bunch of Irish or green food and everyone else is required to bring a board game. There will be tons of food, Guinness and green punch. All that coupled with some corny games (and maybe a few Rock Band sessions) should make for quite the evening!

I'm hoping to do most of the cooking before anyone gets here, so that way I can enjoy the party as well. I decided to make these cute little shepard's pies before hand, refrigerate or freeze them, then throw them in the oven right before people get here. Since I hadn't made these before, Brad and I gave them a test run the other night, and they turned out fantastic! Really flavorful, and actually pretty easy to eat with your hands, which is a big sticking point I have for finger food.

These all start with canned biscuits, which you shape into muffin tins and partially bake, forming little biscuit cups. You then fill them with mashed potatoes and a delicious meat and veggie mixture, and top the whole thing off with cheddar cheese. They bake in the oven until the cheese is melted and browned and the biscuits are cooked through. Since there are a few steps and these would certainly need to be made before guests arrive, I'm quite happy to say that they are just as yummy after being in the fridge then heated in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350℉. I also made bite-sized versions, using half a biscuit and a mini-muffin tin.

I could not think of a more perfect appetizer for a St. Patrick's Day celebration! Stay tuned for other Irish goodies coming later this week!

Mini Shepard's Pies

Slightly Adapted from Big Daddy's House - Aaron McCargo, Jr.

cooking spray

12 canned biscuits (I used Grands Homestyle)

1 pound ground beef

1/2 onion, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

2 tablespoons AP flour

1/2 cup beef stock

1 cup frozen mixed veggies

1/2 cup leftover mashed potatoes (I used the frozen version and just heated them up)

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons onion powder

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

• Preheat oven to 425℉.
• Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
• Using your hands or a rolling pin, gently increase the circle size of each biscuit.
• Mold the biscuit into a cup shape inside each muffin tin.
• Partially bake biscuits for 6-8 minutes, then set aside.
• Brown beef in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add onions, salt, pepper and garlic, and cook for a few minutes, letting the onions soften.
• Stir flower into meat until a pastey consistency.
• Add beef stock and cook for a few minutes.
• Add vegetables and herbs and cook just until veggies have been warmed.
• Meanwhile, reheat potatoes in microwave for 5-6 minutes, or until warm, then stir in garlic and onion powder.
•  Spoon equal amounts of potatoes into the biscuit cups (it will look like it's filled to the top).
• Top with beef mixture and push down with the back of a spoon or hands.
• Top with mounds of cheese.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and browned.
• Let cool for a few minutes, then gently remove each cup, using a knife if necessary.

Tyler's Zucchini Carpaccio

I first saw this beautiful carpaccio a while back and have been dying to make it ever since, but could never find the right occasion. I finally got my chance when the lovely L&P stopped by for dinner one weekend night. L is an amazing and truly talented singer who comes over frequently to "jam" with the soon-to-be-hubby. The two of them are even doing a performance at our wedding! Normally, we just order in when L comes over, but I thought, in the spirit of this blog, that I would give some of my "too much food for only 2 people" recipes a shot. Plus, P & I would need some serious sustenance for all the hard listening and critiquing we would have to do. ;)

This carpaccio was all I could have ever hoped for. It was refreshing and light, perfect for the sauna-like weather we have been experiencing here in NYC. The ricotta provides a beautifully smooth contrast to the crisp, thin slices of zucchini. The leeks, olive oil, herbs and lemon juice all combine to make a wonderful appetizer that is substantial feeling, even if it is just a bit of cut up veggies and cheese. Best of all, there is absolutely no cooking involved! In fact, if you own one of the fancy mandolin things, this would be an absolute breeze to put together. I actually received one as a shower present, but it's still up in Canada for a few weekends so I made do with just a regular knife and a little patience. Slicing it by hand was surprisingly simple and took no more than a handful of minutes.

This was a real crowd pleaser at my table and is a definite make for the next time you have company coming over.

Zucchini Carpaccio
Adapted from Tyler's Ultimate - Tyler Florence

2 zucchini (or enough to fill your platter), sliced into very fine rounds
Salt and pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 leek, cleaned well, white and light green parts sliced into very thin rings
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (I used dill and chives, but could use whatever you like)
1 cup ricotta cheese
Fresh mint, small handful chopped finely

• Lay the zucchini slices out in an overlapping circular pattern around the platter.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
• Drizzle a tablespoon or two of olive oil (enough to lightly cover all zucchini) and the lemon juice on top.
• Place platter in the fridge for about 10 minutes so that all the flavors can meld together.
• Scatter leeks and herbs on top.
• Place teaspoon size rounds of the ricotta sporadically around platter and then scatter chopped mint on top.