Stewed Squid and Potatoes

For me cooking dinner is a lot like golf, most shots are okay but every once in a while you really nail one…and I hit the sweet spot with this squid stew. In a large pot sauté a chopped shallot in some olive oil until translucent before adding the zest of a quarter of a lemon, a quarter teaspoon of dried chili flakes, and at least three minced garlic cloves.

While that’s cooking cube six small red potatoes, finely chop a half a bunch of parsley, and open a 28 oz. can of chopped tomatoes. Next, slice a pound of squid into half inch pieces and add to the pot followed by the potatoes, tomatoes, and a bottle of clam juice then simmer for 45 minutes. Add the parsley fifteen minutes before serving along with a great piece of bread.

Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan is such a satisfying combination of flavors and textures, and this time of year it provides a great excuse to turn on your oven. Preheat your oven to 400 while heating about an 1/8 of an inch of olive oil in a large frying pan. Next, pound your boneless chicken breasts or tenders between a couple of sheets of saran to a ¼ inch thickness then liberally salt and pepper.

For the breading add a cup of flour, three lightly beaten eggs with a splash of milk, and two cups of breadcrumbs or panko to three separate bowls. When your oil is hot individually dredge each piece of chicken in the flour, egg and breadcrumb mixtures in that order and fry on each side until golden, about three or four minutes. Lay them all out in a large baking dish and top with tomato sauce and sliced mozzarella and bake at 350 for fifteen minutes. Serve with pasta, in this case I did an orzo with basil pesto.

Bread with Tomatoes

If it’s this easy to achieve food bliss why try any harder? But if you’re going to get there you can’t skimp on the ingredients: Local tomatoes, local artisan bread, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and flaky Maldon salt.

It’s important not to slice your bread too thick, right around a 1/4 inch, then toast on medium. Your tomatoes should be sliced even thinner, about an 1/8th of an inch. Once out of the toaster drizzle your bread with olive oil then cut a garlic clove in half and rub each slice with the exposed side of the clove…like an eraser on a chalk board.

After that simply lay on your sliced tomatoes, squish them gently into the bread with the flat side of a chef’s knife, and sprinkle liberally with flaky salt. Chew slowly, they’re only going to be available for a couple more weeks.

Charred Eggplant Dip

This is one of the best ways I’ve found to prepare eggplants for a dip or side veggie. I adapted it from a recipe on one of my favorite foodie web sites, Smitten Kitchen.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Then prick two medium sized eggplants with a fork and char by rotating over a gas flame or under your broiler until there’s no purple visible. Once they’re cool enough to handle take off the stem, cut lengthwise, and place cut side down on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Roast for 35 minutes then let cool to room temperature before scraping the flesh from the skin and chopping coarsely.

In a bowl whisk until smooth two finely mince garlic cloves, a handful of chopped parsley, the juice of one lemon, three tablespoons of tahini, a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch each of cayenne and ground cumin. Combine with the chopped eggplant, salt to taste, and serve with toasted pita.

Zesty Zucchini and Pasta

Wondering what to do with all those zucchinis? Here’s a zesty way to use four of them. Finely chop a red onion and sauté over medium heat with some extra virgin olive oil. While that’s cooking mince five cloves of garlic then on the coarse side of a box grater shred four cucumber sized zucchinis.

Add the garlic to the pot with the onion along with a can of anchovies and a tablespoon of capers. Once the anchovies have dissolved stir in your shredded zucchini along with some black pepper.

What’s going to make this sauce great is to let the zucchini cook down and sporadically scrape the bottom of the pot with a spatula to work the caramelized bits into the sauce. Let it go for about fifteen minutes but make sure the heat isn’t so high that you burn it. Before serving over pasta add an eighth of a cup of your best olive oil and salt to taste…alongside a tomato salad. It is August after all.

Quinoa Tabouli

There’s no better time of year to make tabouli and while it’s traditionally made with barley, quinoa is both quicker and lighter for a summer meal. Start by cooking a cup of quinoa in 1 ¼ cups of water with a bit of salt in a covered saucepan, after ten minutes remove from the heat and leave covered.

While your quinoa rests mince a garlic clove and combine with the juice of half a lemon in a small bowl. After that, fluff up your quinoa with a fork and place it in a large bowl to cool. Now it’s all about chopping. Into a separate large bowl chop up a couple medium tomatoes, a large cucumber, a full bunch of parsley, a handful of mint, and half a red onion. I had some green beans around so I chopped those up and threw them in as well.

When you’re ready to serve combine all of your chopped veggies and herbs with the cooled quinoa then toss with the lemon juice, half a cup of extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. This is the bounty of summer at its best.

Steak with Shallots and Garlic

Next time you throw a steak on the barbecue take a few minutes extra to make it into a restaurant worthy meal with some shallots, garlic, and butter. Fifteen minutes before you start grilling your steak peel, halve, and cut six shallots into 1/8 inch slices and sauté with some extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Give them a stir every few minutes until they’re translucent and just starting to brown.

At this point turn the heat to low and add a couple of minced garlic cloves and a ¼ inch piece of butter…or two.  It will be ready to go once the butter has melted but if you're not going to serve it immediately turn the heat down to simmer so you don’t brown it. Onions of any kind would substitute nicely but shallots really stand up to the meat.

Scallop Carpaccio with Lemon Chive Oil

This refreshing summer appetizer is a special treat and brings the taste of the ocean to your table. The key is starting with the freshest and largest sea scallops you can find and a sharp knife, and as long as they’re fairly large you only need to buy one per person.

Before you begin put your plates in the fridge to chill, one for each person. Next, gently heat some extra virgin olive oil in a small pot and add a couple tablespoons of lemon zest and some minced chives. Immediately remove from the heat and let sit for at least an hour or even overnight.

To serve, slice each scallop as thinly as possible and lay the slices out on your chilled plates making sure they barely overlap. Then simply spoon enough of your infused oil mixture over the top to coat each slice and top with a generous sprinkle of coarse salt.

Use any leftover oil for steamed veggies or a salad dressing.

Green Beans with Feta and Olives

The green beans are here, the green beans are here, and this combination with feta and Kalamata olives is great served warm or at room temperature. Start by coarsely chopping a half a cup of pitted Kalamata olives while your steamer or water for blanching is heating up.

Next, snap the stems off of your beans and steam for five minutes or blanch for one and immediately drain and combine with the chopped olives, some crumbled feta, and a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and coarse salt. That’s it, when the local vegetables are this good less is best.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

Mason jars aren’t only for canning and Bloody Mary’s, they also make the perfect gadget for making and storing salad dressings. And this one like most vinaigrettes will keep for weeks in the fridge, even with a bit of red wine.

To your mason jar add a quarter cup of extra virgin olive oil, a couple tablespoons of both red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard, two teaspoons of red wine, a pinch of sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Screw on the lid and shake vigorously for about ten seconds or until the dressing looks opaque. It will pretty much taste great on any salad including this endive, corn, cucumber, and scallion combination.

Macerated Strawberries

If you think strawberries are incredible as is you should try macerating them…wow! Sounds technical but it couldn’t be easier, although you do have to plan ahead as they should sit for at least an hour. 

In a large bowl quarter and toss a quart of strawberries with a teaspoon of sugar and a quarter cup of Limoncello, Rum, Vodka, or tequila. If kids are involved you may want to opt for a white Balsamic vinegar. That’s it...just them sit at room temperature until you’re ready to serve.

But don’t stop there, top them with a scoop of lemon sorbet and crumbled Lazzaroni Amaretti cookies. The combinations of sweet and sour, warm and cold, soft and crunchy will definitely make this one of your go to summer desserts.

Pimento Cheese Dip

July 4th brings out the best and worst in me food-wise, but no matter how you see it this classic dip from the South is undeniably satisfying….especially on a Ritz. In a large bowl stir together an 8 ounce bag each of shredded sharp white and sharp orange cheddar, half a cup of mayonnaise, 2 cups of finely chopped roasted peppers(jarred is fine), half a teaspoon of celery seeds, a splash of Tabasco sauce, and salt to taste. If there’s any left on July 5th it makes for an awesome grilled cheese and bacon sandwich. Happy 4th!