Quick & Easy Recipe: Caprese Salad… Nothing could taste fresher!

On June 18, 2013December 20, 2013 By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, HEALTH, Recipe9 Comments

My basil plant is growing like a weed. It is absolutely gorgeous… I bought an heirloom tomato the other day and it smelled heavenly! My first thought… CAPRESE SALAD! I mean what could be any fresher tasting as well as quick and easy to throw together?

CAPRESE SALAD

Good tomato (or tomatoes)

Fresh mozzarella cheese (it’s in a ball, slice it into nice slices)

Fresh Basil (MUST. BE. FRESH!)

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Find a good tomato (this one was rather large), and slice it (not too thin). You can lay a slice of tomato, then a slice of FRESH mozzarella cheese (if it’s not the softer fresh mozzarella the results will not be the same, I speak from experience!) and a basil leaf, or you can stack several basil leaves together, roll them up and snip them into small pieces (as I did, above). It tastes the same either way. Now drizzle the tomatoes and cheese with olive oil, and a light sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Note: I made this recipe ahead one day… popped it in the fridge… took it out when dinner was ready and the olive oil had congealed (eek), so if you make it ahead, just take it out of the fridge a few minutes before serving so the olive oil has a chance to come alive!

The other night we had boiled shrimp, corn on the cob, and this caprese salad… too good!

This is also fabulous on a good bakery baguette… nothing fresher, we used to get this at Dean & Deluca – oh, what memories!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Super Simple Salad… Tomatoes, basil and olive oil…

On July 11, 2011December 13, 2013 By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, Recipe2 Comments

I saw some pretty little grape tomatoes in the fridge and a pot of basil that was begging to be used. I whipped my mom up a small super simple tomato salad… It took no time and it was delicious to boot!

Tomatoes are so good for you because they contain lycopene, an antioxidant. To get the most nutrition when you eat a tomato pair it with a little olive oil. The good lycopene found in tomatoes is fat soluble, so if you add a little good fat, like olive oil it helps your body absorb lycopene more easily. Here’s the recipe… no need to even write it down… cut up the tomato into bite sized pieces (whatever kind of tomato you like, the darker the tomato the more antioxidants), drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle a little salt and pepper then top with fresh basil. If you happen to have a little fresh mozarella (MUST be FRESH, that’s my opinion) chop up a bit and toss it in, that’s delightful! Quick and easy!Added tip… cooked tomatoes are more concentrated, therefore have more lycopene… Enjoy!

Bowtie pasta with sundried tomato and scallion cream!

On February 7, 2011December 8, 2013 By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, Recipe, THOUGHTSLeave a comment

: Food & Wine

I was trying to think of what to make for dinner… ugh, I don’t want to be in a rut and make the same thing time and time again. We were both in the mood for some pasta, but we just weren’t sure HOW we wanted it… I happened to be on Facebook and I saw that Food and Wine magazine had posted a recipe that was quick and easy and sounded DELICIOUS! So off we went to the store, hunted and gathered the ingredients, popped home and threw it together in NO TIME! Seriously. This pasta sauce ISN’T. EVEN. COOKED! I had some reservations… hmmm, seems like you should at least cook it. I usually do try a new recipe pretty much as it’s shown, then the next time I make it I tweak it and change it up a bit. The only thing I did with this recipe is to use basil instead of parsley (LOVE tomatoes and basil together!) which the recipe did have listed as an alternative, and I used sundried tomatoes in oil instead of reconstituting… I also used mini bowties, well, just because I like them and they’re cute! This. Was. Delicious. Say no more… I will be making this time and time again!

If you get a chance, check out this recipe. It would be nice paired with a small salad or a crusty loaf of good bread (as Ina would say). The recipe also mentions that it would be good with fusilli pasta, as the sauce would hold on to the crevices. See the wine pairing suggestion from Food and Wine below…

Pairing Suggestion – A fruity red wine will be ideal with the rich sauce and the assertive, salty taste of the sun-dried tomatoes. A slightly chilled bottle of Barbera or Dolcetto from the Piedmont region of Italy would be perfect.

Bow Ties with Sun-Dried Tomato and Scallion Cream

SERVINGS: 4 FAST / VEGETARIAN

Ingredients

5 scallions, white and light-green parts only

6 tablespoons chopped reconstituted sun-dried tomato halves (about 12 halves); see Note

1 cup light cream or half-and-half

1 pound bow ties

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

In a blender or food processor, puree the scallions and sun-dried tomatoes with 1/2 cup of the cream.
In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the bow ties until just done, about 15 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and toss with the puree, the remaining 1/2 cup cream, 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water, the salt, pepper, and parsley. If the sauce seems too thick, thin it by adding more of the reserved pasta water.

Notes

Reconstituting Sun-Dried Tomatoes In a small pan bring enough water to a boil to cover the dried tomatoes. Add the tomatoes, then remove from the heat and let steep in the hot water for about 5 minutes. Drain. You can also use drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes for this recipe. Since they’re already soft, you don’t have to reconstitute them.

Variation

Bow Ties with Sun-Dried Tomato and Herb Cream An equal quantity of chopped fresh basil or chives or 2 tablespoons of tarragon would be a good alternative or addition to the parsley.

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Image via Food & Wine – Melanie Acevedo