Quick Italian-Style Chopped Salad

This recipe started out as 'Quick Chickpea Salad' from Easy Summer Food, but I wanted it to be more substantial, so I added chopped salami and baby bocconcini (mini mozzarella balls) from Trader Joe's to the salad, and it was great. You could also add any of the following: partially sundried (sun-blush) tomatoes, olives, prosciutto, cooked chorizo, tuna, other vegetables, lettuces or herbs. You can also partially prepare the salad ahead of time by combining just the dressing and the chickpeas, allowing the chickpeas to absorb some of the dressing flavors, and adding the fresh ingredients just before serving.

Ingredients (serves 4)

2 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed & drained

4 marinated artichoke hearts, quartered

8oz./250g very ripe cherry tomatoes, halved

8 scallions (spring onions), sliced diagonally into 1/2" pieces

a handful of fresh basil leaves, torn

a small bunch of fresh chives, snipped

leaves from 4 springs of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

2 oz. (55g) fresh shaved Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp black pepper, cracked with a mortar & pestle

hard italian salami, chopped

mini mozzarella balls, or mozzarella cut into bite size pieces

Dressing

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 small garlic clove, crushed

sea salt & fresh ground pepper

1. Put the dressing ingredients in a bowl and beat with a fork. Add the chickpeas, artichoke hearts and salami (if using), and toss in the dressing. Cover & chill for up to 4 hours.

2. When ready to serve, add the cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, scallions, basil, chives and parsley. Stir gently, sprinkle with shaved Parmesan, salt and pepper, then serve.

Orzo Tomato Salad with Lemon and Herb Dressing

We're going out to dinner tonight, but this is a recipe that I've made a few times (usually in the warmer months) and it's delicious. It's also from the Easy Summer Food cookbook. Note: Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta available at most large supermarkets in California, but I've a little trouble getting it here. I found it locally through ASDA's online market site, and also saw it at Whole Foods in London.

Ingredients:

2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

8oz (250g) orzo or other tiny soup pasta

6 scallions/spring onions, finely chopped

1/4 c. coarsely chopped mixed fresh herbs (I used basil, dill & parsley)

grated zest and juice of 2 unwaxed lemons

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

4 wooden skewers, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes

Directions: Thread the tomatoes onto the soaked wooden skewers with all the cut halves facing the same way. Sprinkle over a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil under a preheated hot broiler for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until lightly charred and softened.

Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for about 9 minutes or until al dente. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a skillet, add the onions, herbs, lemon zest and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the mixture to the orzo, then add the tomatoes, lemon juice, remaining olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss well and let cool before serving.

Note: This dish is best eaten fresh, but keeps well. If you refrigerate this dish, bring it back to room temp before serving; you may also need to add a dash of olive oil to bring the right moisture level back.

Chocolate Chip Croissant Bread Pudding with Bourbon Ice Cream Sauce

I'm not sure where this recipe came from, but the author is Michael Chiarello, and it has been a big hit both times I served it, so I thought I would pass it along.

Serves 12

Ingredients:

1 stick/115g butter

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

5 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 1/2 cups whole milk

8-12 small croissants, or six large

1/2 cup raisins

3/4 cup bittersweet or milk chocolate chips

For sauce:

1/2 pint/500ml vanilla ice cream

1 fl. oz. (~2 T) bourbon

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Combine butter and sugar (using a mixer if available) and beat until well blended. Add cinnamon and vanilla, and combine till blended. Add in eggs one at a time mixing continuously. Add milk and combine well.

Lightly butter a 9" x 13" baking dish (glass is best). Break up the croissants into 1" pieces and layer the pan. Scatter raisins and chocolate chips over the top and gently mix to incorporate (bread should reach almost to the top of dish). Pour the egg mixture over the croissants; soak for 8 to 10 minutes. You will need to push croissant pieces down during this time to ensure even coverage by the egg mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes to brown the top. The croissant bread pudding is done when the custard is set, but still soft. Allow to cool.

For sauce: Remove ice cream from freezer 1 day before serving and refrigerate. Mix through bourbon with ice cream and drizzle generously over the top and pool around the plate.

Mediterranean Vegetable Pitas with Spicy Squash Dip

I made this Spicy Squash Dip with some leftover chickpeas (garbanzo beans) about 3 weeks ago and it kept really well in the fridge, so I decided to make some Mediterranean pita bread sandwiches with the remaining dip. The dip is great served warm on pita breads or flat-breads alone for an appetizer, but it really added a special flavor to the sandwiches.

Mediterranean Vegetable Pitas

Ingredients:

whole wheat pita breads

Spicy Squash Dip (see recipe below)

extra virgin olive oil

red wine vinegar

1/4 c. chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley

Equal amounts: cherry tomatoes (quartered), cucumber (thinly sliced and quartered), and red onion (thinly sliced and quartered)

feta cheese (low-fat OK)

In a bowl or small container, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and flat-leaf parsley with a little olive oil and vinegar, then crumble some feta cheese into the mix, and season with salt and fresh ground pepper. The mixture is to taste, so add more cheese, oil, vinegar or seasonings as desired. The mixture is even better if left to chill overnight in the fridge before serving, as the veggies will marinate in the dressing.

To assemble the sandwiches, toast pita bread in the toaster oven until warmed and slightly browned. Cut an opening along 1/2 of the pita edge (not on the flat face). Heat 3-4 tablespoons of Spicy Squash Dip per pita in the microwave for 30-45 seconds, or until warm. Spoon dip into each pita bread opening and spread over bottom half of pita. Spoon in chilled vegetable & feta mixture until pita feels almost full, and enjoy warm!

The dip recipe came from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics.

Spicy Squash Dip

1 15 oz. (425g) can pumpkin puree

1 15 oz (425g) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 tsp whole cumin seeds, toasted

1 tsp whole mustard seeds, toasted

1 tsp whole coriander seeds, toasted

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

To toast seeds, place them in a heavy skillet over medium high heat and shake pan back and forth until seeds are aromatic and start to take on color. Transfer toasted seeds to a spice grinder or mortar and grind into a fine powder. Set aside.

Combine the pumpkin, the mixed ground spices, olive oil, chickpeas, salt, pepper, lemon juice and thyme leaves in a food processor. Process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Serve immediately, or let cool and refrigerate.

Leftover Turkey & Mash 'Cottage Pie'

If any of you in the U.S. have leftover turkey and mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving, like I do, then this is the perfect recipe! I got inspiration from this recipe on CD Kitchen, but modified it a bit, and made it today in about 15 minutes + baking time. My version is below:

Turkey & Mash 'Cottage Pie' (Serve's 4-6)

Ingredients:

1/4 c. butter or margarine

1/4 c. plain flour

1 pouch dry Lipton Onion Soup Mix

3 cups water

1 pouch dry Turkey Gravy w/parsley & sage

2 cups cooked turkey or chicken, cut up into bite sized pieces

1 (10oz) package fresh or frozen chopped mixed vegetables (ideally onion, celery, and carrots)

3/4 c. frozen peas

Any loose leftover stuffing or glazed pearl onions

2-3 c. mashed potatoes

Directions: Preheat oven to 350F/180C. In a large saucepan over med.-high heat., melt the butter, then add the flour and stir constantly for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Mix onion soup mix, gravy mix and water thoroughly in a large bowl and add to flour mixture in pan. Stir until thickened. Mix in vegetables, turkey, peas, stuffing and onions (if using) and heat through.

Pour mixture into a lightly greased casserole dish (8 x 8 x 2 worked for me) and spread mashed potatoes evenly across the top. You can spray a little olive oil over the potatoes or drizzle a little melted butter if you like, then bake the dish for 30 minutes, or until bubbling. You can also crank up the heat and broil the potatoes for the last few minutes to give them a golden brown crust.

Easy Pad Thai with Chicken, Shrimp or Tofu

There are many ways to make Pad Thai, but I like the taste of the Thai Kitchen brand of Pad Thai Noodle Sauce, so I buy that and roughly follow their recipe, which saves me from having to get the right mix of spice and flavorings (Note: Take care if you have nut allergies, as the sauce may contain traces of peanuts, nuts and sesame seeds). We made this last night for dinner and I added extra fish sauce, which ended up making it a little too salty for my taste, so I wouldn't do that again next time.

You can use chicken, shrimp/prawns, tofu or any combination of the three, as long as you have the right weight. I used about 1/2 chicken and 1/2 cooked jumbo prawns, as that's what I had on hand. You could even try it with veggies I suppose (maybe green & red peppers or thai eggplant)! The jar says this makes 4 servings, but if this is all you are eating, it really only serves 2 -3 hungry adults. You could probably make it stretch to serve 4 if you serve some soup with it.

Ingredients:

1 jar Thai Kitchen Pad Thai Noodle Sauce, 340g/10-12 oz. (3 pepper rating--it's spicy)

2 large eggs, beaten

400g/13 oz. cooked prawns/shrimp, or raw, diced chicken breasts, or uncooked, cubed tofu

4 -6 scallions/spring onions, chopped

100-200g bean sprouts

250g (1/2 lb.) cooked rice noodles (cook ahead if cooked noodles aren't available)

1/3 c. crushed/chopped peanuts

Small bunch cilantro/coriander, roughly chopped

1 lime, cut into 8 slices

Instructions:

In a large frying pan, stir fry diced chicken with 1 Tbsp oil, add eggs before chicken is fully cooked and continue frying until eggs are fully cooked. Add about 1/2 jar of Pad Thai sauce, green onions, bean sprouts and cooked noodles, and heat through. If using cooked shrimp/prawns, add them to the pan about 1-2 minutes before serving, so they just heat through and don't overcook. Note: if using uncooked shrimp, omit oil and add shrimp to the pan with eggs, and cook until pink before adding noodles. If using tofu, grill or pan-fry ahead in a separate pan and add to dish with noodles and sauce.

You can add the chopped peanuts and cilantro/coriander to the noodles and mix them through before serving, or serve them on the side and let others add them to their own taste. Serve hot in bowls garnished with lime wedges (squeeze juice over noodles before eating). Enjoy!

Monday Night Pesto Pasta Carbonara

On Monday night I didn't have anything planned to eat, but we needed a break from Thanksgiving leftovers and I had a bunch of random leftover bits in the fridge taking up space, so I decided to get creative....what resulted was a sort of Pesto Pasta Carbonara. It was great!

Here's what I used (made about 3 large servings):

Remains of a jar of store-bought pesto, 1/4 c. to 1/3 c.

Remains of a tub of mascarpone cheese, about 1/2 c.

Remains of a jug of milk, about 1 cup

1/2 lb (250 g) Messicani pasta spirals from M&S (any small curly or shell shaped pasta will do)

1/2 pot of Sunblush sundried tomatoes in oil, about 1/2 c. (120g), drained and chopped up

Remains of a bag of frozen peas, about 1 cup

1/2 pot of Sainsbury's cubed pancetta, or 50 grams (sliced, chopped pancetta would also work)

Fresh grated parmesan cheese, about 1/4 c., or to taste

First, cook the pasta until al dente in a pot of salted, boiling water according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. In a small frying pan, heat a spoonful of oil over medium high heat and cook the pancetta cubes until crispy. Drain oil from pan and set pancetta aside on a paper towel to drain.

In a large saucepan, combine the milk, pesto sauce and mascarpone cheese over medium-low heat (taking care that the milk doesn't get too hot and boil or burn), until the mascarpone is mostly melted and combined with the milk. The sauce should be creamy. Add the frozen peas and sundried tomatoes and cook over medium heat, stirring, until peas are cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add cooked pancetta and Parmesan cheese to sauce and stir to combine. Add drained pasta to sauce mix and stir to coat. Serve hot with extra Parmesan cheese topping, if desired, and a green salad.