Recipe Files...

  Recipes This week include:

Minted Pea and Proscuitto Crostini

Creamy Zucchini and Ricotta Spread

Brocoli Leek Soup

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette

Zucchini Rice Gratin

Broiled Grapefruit

Strawberry Margarita

Minted Pea and Proscuitto Crostini

Everyday Foods Magazine

2 cups fresh or frozen peas

2 TB extra virgin olive oil

3 TB chopped fresh mint

1 TB finely grated lemon zest

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 thinly sliced proscuitto

baguette

Cook peas in boiling salted water until tender, then drain. IN a medium bowl, lightly mash the peas with the back of a fork. Add olive oil, mint, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.  Slice baguette into small rounds and toast (in oven with olive oil, optional). To serve, divide proscuitto amongst crostini and top with pea mixture.

Creamy Zucchini and Ricotta Spread

Everyday Foods Magazine

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium zucchini

1 garlic clove

1/2 tsp fresh tyme, minced

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup ricotta

1 TB lemon zest

2 tsp lemon juice

In medium non-stick skillet heat oilive oil over medium high heat. Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a boz grater and add to olive oil, along with garlic and tyme. Seasonw ith salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is tender and golden brown in spots, about 5 min. Transfer to a medium bowl and let cool at room temperature. Add ricotta, lemon zest and lemon juice and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and serve with pita chips.

Brocoli Leek Soup

Because they are grown in loose, sandy soil, leeks often have grit lodged between their tightly packed leaves. To clean a leek, trim off the roots and the tough, dark tops of the leaves. Peel away the outer layer from the stalk and discard. Halve or quarter the leek lengthwise. (If the leek will be served whole, leave the root end attached and cut only three-fourths of the way down from the green top.) Rinse well under cold running water, pulling the layers of leaves apart slightly to wash away all of the grit.

For the garlic croutons:

4 to 6 slices coarse country bread, each 3/4 inch thick, crusts removed

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, sliced lengthwise

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 leeks, including tender green portions, rinsed well and finely chopped

1 1/2 lb. broccoli, trimmed, florets and stalks cut into 1-inch pieces

4 cups chicken stock

Salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste

1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh chives

To make the croutons, cut the bread slices into 3/4-inch cubes. In a fry pan over medium-high heat, combine the olive oil and garlic. Fry until the garlic turns brown, about 4 minutes; do not allow it to burn. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out and discard the garlic. Add the bread cubes to the pan and fry, stirring often, until golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

To make the soup, in a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the leeks and sauté until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and sauté, stirring frequently, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes more.

Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Cover partially and cook until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a sharp knife, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. 

In a blender or food processor, puree the soup in batches until smooth and return the soup to the pan. Alternatively, process with a stick blender in the pan until smooth. Reheat the soup gently over medium heat. Season with salt and white pepper.Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish with the sour cream, croutons and chives. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Soup, by Diane Rossen Worthington

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette

Gourmet  | July 2002

4 lb sweet potatoes (8; preferably long)

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Cover potatoes with cold salted water in a large pot, then bring to a boil. Simmer until slightly resistant in center when pierced with a sharp small knife, 25 to 30 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl of cold water to stop cooking. Drain well. When cool enough to handle, peel potatoes with a sharp small knife and quarter lengthwise.

Prepare grill for cooking.

Whisk together lime juice, salt, and pepper and add oil in a slow stream, whisking. Whisk in cilantro.

When fire is hot (you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for 1 to 2 seconds), grill potatoes in 2 or 3 batches on lightly oiled grill rack (over coals if using a charcoal grill), uncovered, turning, until grill marks appear and potatoes are just tender, 3 to 6 minutes total.

Serve potatoes warm or at room temperature, drizzled with vinaigrette.

Cooks’ notes: ·Potatoes can be boiled and peeled 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

Vinaigrette can be made 2 hours ahead and kept at room temperature.

Zucchini Rice Gratin

Gourmet  | March 2008

Andrea Albin

yield: Makes 4 to 6 (side dish) servings

active time: 25 min

total time: 1 1/4 hr

With golden cheese that yields to an abundance of roasted vegetables, this gratin is an ideal side dish, but it really doesn’t need anything more than a green salad to make it a satisfying dinner.

1/3 cup long-grain white rice

1 1/2 pounds zucchini (about 3 medium), sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick

6 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick

1 medium onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon chopped thyme

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided

Preheat oven to 450°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.

Cook rice according to package instructions.

While rice cooks, toss zucchini with 1 tablespoon oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a shallow baking pan. Toss tomatoes with 1/2 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in another baking pan.

Roast zucchini in upper third of oven and tomatoes in lower third, turning vegetables once halfway through roasting, until tender and light golden, about 10 minutes for tomatoes; 20 minutes for zucchini. Leave oven on.

Meanwhile, cook onion and garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt in 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy skillet, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Stir together onion mixture, cooked rice, eggs, thyme, 1/4 cup cheese, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spread half of rice mixture in a shallow 2-quart baking dish, then top with half of zucchini. Spread remaining rice mixture over zucchini, then top with remaining zucchini. Top with tomatoes and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.

Bake in upper third of oven until set and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Broiled Grapefruit

The pleasures of broiled grapefruit are akin to those of a classic crème brûlée, only here the hot caramelized topping gives way to cool, tart-sweet segments of citrus fruit instead of chilled custard. Any grapefruit will work in this recipe; just be sure the fruits are well chilled to produce the best results.

2 large grapefruits, well chilled

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

4 small fresh mint sprigs

Directions:

Preheat a broiler.

Cut each grapefruit in half crosswise. Cut a thin slice off the bottom of each half, if necessary, so that it will stand upright.

Using a serrated grapefruit knife or a small, sharp knife, loosen the grapefruit segments in each half by first carefully cutting between the fruit and the peel and then by cutting along either side of each segment to free it from the membrane. Leave all the segments in their shells. Place the halves upright in a baking dish.

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. Using your fingers, sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the grapefruit halves. Slip under the broiler about 4 inches from the heat source and broil until the sugar is uniformly bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes. 

Transfer each grapefruit half to an individual dish and garnish with a mint sprig. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library Series, Breakfasts & Brunches, by Norman Kolpas

Strawberry Margarita

Recipe courtesy Guy Fieri

2 cups crushed ice

1/2 cup strawberry puree (frozen can or fresh strawberries, pureed)

1 cup tequila

2 limes, juiced

Splash Triple Sec

Splash simple syrup (equal amounts sugar and water heated until sugar dissolves, then cooled)

Combine in a blender, ice, strawberry water, tequila, lime juice, Triple Sec and simple syrup. Puree until smooth. Pour into rocks glasses and serve.