8.31.2009

11-22 Bruschetta



Ingredients:

* 3 cups chopped seeded Roma or Plum tomatoes
* 1 clove garlic, finely minced
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
* 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 tablespoon vinegar (balsamic or apple cider), optional
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 4-6 ounces fresh Mozzarella cheese
* 1 Baguette or long thin loaf crusty Italian bread

Method:

Seed and juice tomatoes, chop; finely mince garlic; chop basil. Combine tomatoes, garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil and optional vinegar; salt and pepper to taste. Chill one to two hours to blend flavors.

Crumble or dice cheese, set aside.

Slice bread, and place slices 6 inches from broiler unit in oven; toast on both sides until golden brown (1-2 minutes per side). Brush slices with olive oil, spoon chopped tomatoes on each slice, top with cheese and return to oven just until cheese is melted.

Bruschetta is a classic Italian snack, appetizer or side dish. Easy to make, it is a delicious way to enjoy cheese and veggies. Makes about 16 slices

The American version of Bruschetta is made with chopped tomatoes and basil, but be adventuresome, add olives, and try a variety of roasted vegetables (such as onion, sweet peppers, eggplant, beans, zucchini - or a combination of vegetables); and experiment with different cheeses (such as crumbled Gorgonzola or Feta cheese).

Nutrition analysis was calculated using 2 tablespoons olive oil and 5 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese.

For nutrition analysis go to www.UtahDairyCouncil.com

8.26.2009

11-22 Apple Pie - made from Zuchhini!


Here's my recipe for apple pie:

ZUCCHINI PIE (tastes like apple)
1 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 Tbs corn starch
1/4 tsp allspice
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp cream of tarter
2 Tbs butter
Pinch of salt
5 cups zucchini squash

Peel and cube the squash into 1/2 inch pieces. Large zucchini works good if
you scoop out the seeds and discard. Cover with water and boil for 5
minutes. Drain well, then mix in the remaining ingredients. Mix well until
butter melts. At this point you can either put the mixture in a ziplock bag
and put in the freezer for future use or bake in a pie.

Bake in 9 inch double crust pie shell at 400 for 10 minutes (just to brown
the crust) and then reduce heat to 350 and bake for 20 more minutes.

From Marie

8.19.2009

Pasta with Roasted Beets, Beet Greens and Pine Nuts

Check this Italian Dish out!!! Talk about GREAT color!!

http://theitaliandish.blogspot.com/search?q=beets

11-22 Roasted Vegetable White Lasagna - A Delicious Italian Dish!

Check out this great Italian recipe and blogsite:

http://theitaliandish.blogspot.com/search?q=vegetable+lasagna

http://theitaliandish.blogspot.com/2008/11/roasted-vegetable-lasagna.html

This recipe has no meat and you can really use whatever vegetables you like. The vegetables are roasted, giving them a deeper flavor and the lasagna is assembled with a simple, rich bechamel sauce. Learning how to make a bechamel sauce is easy - you just whisk and cook!

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna


Making the bechamel:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup flour
4 cups milk
some grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1 chicken bouillon cube (amount that you would dissolve in 1 cup water)
note: if you are using Knorr bouillon cubes, remember they are for 2 cups of water - just cut them in half

Vegetables to roast (you can use anything you like)
I used a combination of zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, 3 garlic cloves and some chopped up fresh spinach

Lasagna noodles for one 13x9 inch baking pan
I don't recommend "no boil" noodles for this lasagna.

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese


For the bechamel:

In a medium sized saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for just a minute or so. Slowly add the milk and keep whisking. Add the nutmeg, white pepper and bouillon cube and whisk. Cook for a few minutes, whisking, until the bechamel has thickened slightly. Set aside to cool. Stir it once in a while so a skin doesn't form.

For the vegetables:

Chop vegetables uniformly. Mince garlic. Combine half the mixed vegetables on a baking sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for several minutes at 400 degrees. Stir. Roast for several minutes more until vegetables are soft. You can roast a little longer, if you like them to be slightly caramelized. Repeat with remaining vegetables. Set aside to cool slightly.


Cook lasagna noodles for 5 minutes, until soft. Shock in a bowl of ice water, lay on towels to dry.

Spray a 13x9 baking pan with a little cooking spray. Spoon some bechamel thinly on the bottom of the pan. Start with a layer of noodles, a layer of bechamel, some vegetables, and then a layer of a little Parmesan and mozzarella. Repeat layers until you have 6 layers of noodles. On top of the last layer, don't use any vegetables, just some bechamel and the remaining cheeses. Cover tightly with foil.



At this point, you can refrigerate this for a day if you want. When you are ready to bake, bring to room temperature for an hour and then bake for 50 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Remove foil. Bake for a little longer until top is slightly golden. Let sit for 15 minutes before slicing.




I

11-22 Seven Second Salsa

1/4 of a regular sized onion (about 1/4 c.)
1/6 or 1/4 of a jalapeno pepper (depending on how hot you want it)
8 - 10 cherry tomatoes or 1 regular size tomato (about 1/2 c.)
1 - 2 cloves garlic
small sprigs of cilantro (optional)
salt and pepper to taste (I use sea salt)

This 7-second recipe was designed to mix in the "Magic Bullet" mixer. If you don't have a Magic Bullet, don't worry. It may take you a few minutes to chop up the ingredients by hand but it's so good!

Mix all blended ingredients together and enjoy!

All ingredients should be chopped up and blended together. Chop a little less if you want chunky salsa.

8.18.2009

11-22 How to Cook Eggplant with Mozzarella

Eggplant-- that pretty purple vegetable staring you down in the produce aisle-- can seem daunting to cook, but this simple recipe can make novice cooks seem like a dream in the kitchen.

* Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions
Things You'll Need:

* Eggplant (Choose one with even texture; it should feel heavy but shouldn't be more than 6 inches across
* Mozzarella (Fresh Mozzarella is preferred)
* Salt
* Olive oil
* Grill pan or skillet
* Oven (to keep pieces warm as you continue to cook)
* Baking sheet

1.
Step 1

(1) Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Fahrenheit (this is a low temperature as you are only keeping the pieces warm as you cook.) Wash the eggplant and cut horizontally into 1/2 inch slices; thicker slices take longer to cook. (Optional: You can peel the skin with a peeler, but I prefer it on for the vitamins.)
2.
Step 2

Heat 1-2 tbsp of the oil in a skillet or grill pan. While oil is heating, cut mozzarella into thin slices to cover each slice on one side of the eggplant.
3.
Step 3

Once the pan is hot, add enough strips to the pan to cover, but leave enough room so you will be able to flip them. Cook one side 2 minutes; flip and then add mozzarella slice to cook side. Cook another 2 minutes.
4.
Step 4

After each side is cooked, scoop up each eggplant slice in the skillet and place on the baking sheet in the oven to further melt the mozzarella. Repeat steps 2-3 (Eggplant soaks up oil like crazy, so you will need more!)
Once you have cooked the entire eggplant, leave in oven to warm for an additional 5 minutes and then serve, with salt to taste!

8.07.2009

What Mauice and Sharon did with their apricots....



Sharon and I made good use of the apricots today. We made jam (with pineapple) and clear jelly.

We first blanched the fruit so the skins would come off easy, and pitted them. That fruit yielded 26 jars (8 oz.) of apricot/pineapple jam!!!
We then used the water we blanched the fruit in, threw in the skins and let that boil on low for a couple of hours. We then strained the liquid and we now have about 20 jars (8oz) of clear jelly!!!
The pulp goes into the garden.

Nothing wasted!! (except the pits).

Maurice

8.02.2009

A MUST!! Check out this Movie Trailer...

You'll think twice about what you have for dinner tonight. Watch this little clip on this link called: Food, Inc.
http://www.foodincmovie.com/
Playing this week, Aug 3 - 8, 2009, at the Broadway Center Theater in Salt Lake City -- 111 East Broadway (300 South and 111 East)
Showtimes: (1:15 pm) (3:25 pm) (5:25 pm) 7:35 pm; 9:55 pm
Cost: Matinee: $5.00; Evening: $8:50

Tomato Plant Toxicity

The leaves, stems, and green unripe fruit of the tomato plant,[34] as a member of the plant genus Solanum (Nightshade), contain the poison Solanine, which is toxic to humans and animals. Children have been poisoned by a tea produced from the leaves of the tomato plant. The fresh fruit is however harmless.[34]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightshade

Here's the poison:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopalamine

11-22 ZUCCHINI RELISH

10-12 c. zucchini
2 1/2 c. carrots
2 c. onions
2 red or green peppers

Grind all together. Mix with 5 tablespoons salt. Cover with water and let stand overnight. Wash 2 times in cold water. Drain on colander.

DRESSING:
4 c. sugar
1 tsp. ground mustard
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. turmeric
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 1/4 c. vinegar

Mix together and cook 8-10 minutes, stirring until thickened and sugar is dissolved. Add relish and when hot, put in sterilized jars and seal.