Crispy Garlic

Sometimes the best things happen by accident, and this was one of them….at least it seemed like it at the time.  I got distracted while intending to lightly brown a couple of flattened garlic cloves in some hot oil and ended up with some crispy medium brown cloves instead.  I went with it, and set them on a brown paper bag to drain while I barbequed the steak tips and blanched the green beans for a couple of minutes before running them under cold water.  I chopped up the crispy garlic, dried and cut the beans, then tossed with some halved Sun Gold Tomatoes, my best extra virgin olive oil, ground white pepper, and coarse salt.  Not sure what possessed me, it could have been the half bottle of Chianti, but I served the veggies over the steak tips so the salt and peppered oil, garlic, and juice from the tomatoes seeped down making for an absolutely incredible combination of flavors, textures, and temperatures.  Crispy garlic is now a regular addition at our house to all kinds of vegetables, starches, and meats.  In fact, aside for a bowl of breakfast cereal not sure you can go wrong.

Cantaloupe Basil Lemon Soup

Fruit soups are a great summer treat as well as a refreshing way to enjoy all the basil and mint that is in abundance this time of year….so easy too.  Peel and seed a cantaloupe and combine in a blender or Cuisinart with the juice of half a lemon, a cup of basil, and half a teaspoon of sugar or honey.  Chill for at least an hour or even better, overnight.  You could also try spicing it up with a couple drops of Sriracha hot sauce, some fresh ginger, or a prosciutto garnish.  If you only have honeydew prepare the same way with some fresh lime juice and mint.  It’s hard to go wrong…get chillin’!

Quickie Lasagna

Lasagna, as well as two day old cold lasagna leftovers, are two of the many foods that seem to taste better in the summer, and this quickie version makes it a whole lot easier to enjoy.  Quarter and boil your dried lasagna noodles, draining about a minute before the recommended cooking time.  In the meantime sauté your burger, sausage, onions, garlic, or in this case, spinach and mushrooms, in a large pot until cooked before adding a jar of your favorite red sauce, a pint of ricotta, and a cup of grated parmesan.  Adjust your spices, stir in your drained noodles, and transfer to a baking dish rearranging any noodles that may be hanging over the lip of your dish.  Top with sliced mozzarella and bake for approximately 45 minutes.  You may never layer a lasagna again.

Cilantro Garlic Yogurt Sauce

Grilling season is in full swing and a yogurt sauce is an easy and refreshing compliment.  For this chicken dish I stirred into plain yogurt, the juice of one lime, two minced garlic cloves, chopped cilantro, and salt and white pepper to taste.  There are lots of options depending on what you’re making, try fresh orange juice with dill on your salmon, or mint, garlic, and lemon with your lamb, or how about some Indian spices, or something as easy as your favorite curry or hot sauce with your veggies.  For the best flavor I recommend preparing the sauce at least an hour ahead of time.  And it lasts for days in the fridge, so always make more than you think you’ll need.

Burrata with Basil and Tomatoes

When it comes to five minute summer appetizers this burrata with tomatoes and basil ranks high on the list, and the folks at Mablebrook Farms down in Bennington, VT, make it real easy.  Place your balls of burrata on your serving dish, slice open and split, add a generous pinch of kosher salt, a drizzle of your best extra virgin olive oil, a few chopped basil leaves, and some thinly sliced or chopped tomatoes, then serve with a sliced baguette.  For the creamiest texture pull your container of burrata out of the fridge an hour or two before serving.  Summer is here….enjoy!

Ketchup

I’m not going to jump into the fray of what makes a perfect cheeseburger, but what I will say is, don’t overlook the opportunity to jazz up your ketchup.  Last night I topped our open faced caramelized onion bacon cheeseburgers with a dollop of curry ketchup and it made it a whole lot more special without much effort.  I simply stirred in a quarter teaspoon of curry paste into a small bowl of ketchup right out of the bottle.  Think about a squeeze of Sriracha, a spoonful of your favorite barbeque sauce, or a little mayonnaise and relish for a Thousand Island burger.  Then there’s chili and cumin powder for a Mexican twist, or a bit of hoisin and soy sauce if you’re feeling Asian.  And for you purists who aren’t going to mess with it, check out Simply Heinz, it’s the classic recipe minus the high fructose corn syrup.  Happy 4^th!

 

Corn, Cilantro, and Wheat Berry Salad

If you’ve never tried wheat berries you must, it’s a texture like no other and as easy as to prepare as pasta.  You do have to plan a little as they take an hour to cook so best to make more than you need so you can have some leftover for salads or another side dish.  For this corn and cilantro salad simmer your wheat berries in salted water for an hour, strain, and let cool.  Next, husk your corn and slice away the kernels before tossing with the cooked wheat berries, half a bunch of chopped cilantro, a minced garlic clove, the juice of two limes, and coarse salt and pepper to taste.  The longer it sits around before serving the better.  Tomorrow try adding your leftover wheat berries to a spinach salad with a horseradish lemon vinaigrette, or adding to a chicken salad….good stuff.

 



Soft Shell Crabs with Lemon Aioli

Soft shell crabs may look intimidating but as long as your local fishmonger cleans them properly for you they’re actually pretty easy to prepare.  Heat up about an eighth of an inch of vegetable oil in a pan while you prepare a bowl each of flour, stirred eggs, and a half bread crumb half corn meal mixture.  Dredge the crabs individually in each and fry for roughly four minutes per side.  I served them this time with a lemon aioli I concocted by combining a minced garlic clove, lemon juice from half a lemon, and a chopped hardboiled egg in the bottom of a mason jar and stick blending while drizzling in some olive oil.  After chilling for an hour I added salt and ground black pepper to taste. 

Mint and Garlic Infused Lamb Roast

Mint is everywhere and combined with abundant amounts of garlic and salt makes for a very tasty lamb roast.  For maximum flavor you really want to prep the meat the day before and refrigerate overnight.  Hand chop or Cuisinart a bunch of mint, half a head of peeled garlic, black pepper, and at least a couple tablespoons of kosher salt.  Form a paste by adding a little bit of olive oil then apply to all surfaces of your roast, wrap in Saran, and refrigerate until two hours before you plan on cooking.  I like roasting this time of year using indirect heat on the barbeque, but the oven will work too.  If you’re going to serve it with a salad or vegetable a lemon vinaigrette compliments the mint and garlic nicely. 

Orange and Olive Salad

This unlikely combination of navel oranges, olives, and black pepper will leave you wondering why you’ve never had it before.  After peeling, quartering, and thinly slicing my oranges I combined them in a bowl with some pitted Kalamata olives that I halved, my best extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and several grinds of black pepper.  Perfect with a piece of fish or chicken and couldn’t be easier.  And even better with Sicilian blood oranges.

Grilled Shrimp with Scallion Ginger Sauce

I forgot how incredibly tasty a scallion sauce could be until I was inspired to serve this one up with grilled shrimp last week after recently seeing one on a Chinese restaurant menu.  In a Cuisinart after combining one bunch of chopped scallions, a tablespoon each of chopped ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and a half a tablespoon of salt, blend and drizzle about a quarter cup of vegetable or grape seed oil to smooth and thicken.  Salt and pepper your shrimp before cooking then simply toss with the sauce.  Serve hot, warm, or chilled, great either way.  And just as amazing with chicken, pork, or fish. 

Grilled Zucchini with a Balsamic Glaze

You can never have enough condiments at your disposal and I’ve recently found myself going for the ready-made squeeze bottle of Balsamic Glaze more and more these days, it works equally well for chicken, broccoli, pork chops, carrots, and these grilled zucchini .  While the grill was heating I washed, dried, and cut my zucchini into quarter inch slices before tossing with salt, pepper, and a little extra virgin olive oil.  I grilled the zucchini for approximately five to seven minutes on each side so they were soft all the way through but not falling apart…that’s always a bit frustrating.  I immediately tossed them with some fresh mint then garnished with a decorative squeeze of Balsamic glaze.  The glaze is easy enough to make on your own as well by combining two cups of Balsamic Vinegar and a half a cup of brown sugar then reducing on the stove by half.