Herbed Breadsticks

Ingredients

Dough:
1 package active yeast
1½ cup very warm water (110° F) 
4 cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp salt
2T olive oil

1T fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1T fresh thyme, finely chopped
½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
½ cup olive oil
Salt

1.    Preheat oven to 400° F. 
2.    Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to mix together.

3.    Dissolve the yeast in the warm (110° F) water 

4.    With the food processor running, add the water-yeast mixture in a steady stream. 

5.    Turn off the machine and add the oil. Pulse a few times to mix in the oil.

6.    Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a floured board or counter.  Gather any bits of dough and flour and quickly knead into a large ball.  Cut the dough into 4 equally sized pieces and roll each piece into a tight, smooth ball. Cover with a clean dishtowel and allow to rise until dough doubles in size, about 45 minutes. 

7.    In a small bowl, combine the rosemary, thyme and cheese. Set aside.

8.    Place a ball of dough on a lightly floured board and, using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle, approximately 10”x15”.  Sprinkle one half of the dough with the herb-cheese mixture.

9.    Fold the dough over the herb-cheese mixture like a book.  

10.    Cut the dough lengthwise into 1-inch strips. Then cut the dough strips in half perpendicular to the length of the strip.  

11.     Using your hand, roll and twist the dough into thin breadsticks. Place on baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. 

12.     Bake in 400°F oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. 

13.     Remove from the oven. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining herb-cheese mixture and salt.  

14.     Serve hot or room temperature.

TIPS & TRICKS

•    You will need 1 baking sheet for each ball of dough, or bake it in batches.
•    You can make the breadsticks sweet by substituting the herb/cheese mixture with ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 tsp. of cinnamon. 
•    You can make these 2-3 days ahead through step #8. Store in an airtight container or giant zip lock bag. Before serving, reheat in a 400°F oven for 5 minutes. Then brush with oil and sprinkle with herb-cheese mixture and salt.
•    This dough is great for making pizzas too!!

Tian de Vegetables

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
2 medium onions, cut in half and sliced into thin ½ moons, about ¼” thick
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 Italian, Japanese, or small eggplant
2 medium zucchini squash
2 medium yellow squash
4 Roma tomatoes
Salt & pepper
2T fresh thyme
2T olive oil
2T fresh basil, chiffonade

1.    Preheat the oven to 375° F.

2.    Peel and slice the onions in ½ and then slice into ½ moon slices about ¼ inch thick.

3.    Slice the peppers into ¼ thick strips. 

4.    In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the ¼ cup of olive oil. Add the onions and peppers and cook until soft, about 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

5.    Using a mandoline or chef’s knife, slice the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes into ¼ inch rounds. Set aside.

6.    In the bottom of a 9”x12” baking dish, spread out the onion /pepper mixture. Layer the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes on top of the onion/pepper mixture. Alternate and overlap the slices as you go, making 1 layer. You may have extra slices. Reserve them for another use.  

7.    Drizzle the 2 tablespoons of olive oil on top of the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the thyme on top.

8.    Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
9.    Remove the foil and cook an additional 35 minutes until the vegetables are cooked and slightly brown. If you have not achieved the desired brownness, place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes.

10.    Remove from oven and sprinkle the basil on top. Serve warm or room temperature.  

TIPS & TRICKS

•    You can substitute red onion for yellow. You can use red, yellow, or orange peppers too.
•    Try to find eggplants and squash that are the same diameter, so that they layer nicely. You will have the smaller end pieces left over. I chop them up, sauté in a little olive oil, and add to scrambled eggs.
•    This is a great dish for entertaining because you can prepare the dish till step #7 the day ahead. Then cook it earlier in the day. It is best serve warm. 

Orzo, Pancetta, Feta & Greens w/ Basil Lemon Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Basil Lemon Vinaigrette:
1T Dijon mustard
1 T lemon zest
¼ cup lemon juice
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 T Basil chiffonade
Salt and pepper

Salad:
4T olive oil
4 oz. diced pancetta
1 medium yellow or red onion finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 box (1 pound) Orzo
4 cups baby spinach leaves, torn into pieces
1cup toasted walnuts, broken into pieces
8 oz. Feta cheese, crumbled

1.    Vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard and lemon zest and juice. Slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream, whisking constantly until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in basil. Set aside.

2.    In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the pancetta and cook until brown and crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked pancetta from the pan and place on a paper towel lined plate. Allow the pancetta to drain and then place in a large bowl. Set aside. 

3.    Remove any remaining fat from the pan. Place the pan back on the heat and add 2 tablespoons of the pancetta fat or more olive oil if necessary.

4.    Sauté the onions until soft, about 4-6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Add to bowl with the pancetta and set aside.

5.    Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the orzo and cook as per package directions.

6.    Drain the orzo and place in the bowl with the pancetta and onion mixture. Add the spinach. Toss with the hot pasta. 

7.    Add the vinaigrette and continue tossing until the spinach has wilted. Add the feta cheese and nuts, and toss till combined. Season with salt and pepper. 

8.    Place salad on platter and serve warm or at room temperature.

TIPS & TRICKS

•    Vinaigrette can be made ahead. Just add the basil at the last moment.
•    You can substitute bacon for pancetta.
•    Almonds or pecans can be substituted for walnuts.
•    Goat cheese and blue cheese are fantastic and can really change up the taste of this salad.
•    This salad is wonderful the next day.

Grilled Rosemary Lemon Chicken Brochettes

Ingredients

3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 tsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1T lemon zest
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
Salt & pepper

1.    Cut the chicken thighs into 1½-inch pieces. Place them into a medium-size bowl and set aside.

2.    In a large bowl, add the rosemary, garlic, lemon zest, juice, and olive oil. Mix until combined. Add the chicken and toss until well coated.  Refrigerate for 1-2 hours (no more than 2 hours).

3.    Preheat your BBQ Grill to medium/medium-high.

4.    Remove the chicken from refrigerator. Pour off any remaining marinade. Thread the chicken onto the skewers, making sure not to overcrowd the chicken pieces. Using a paper towel, pat the chicken dry.  Season with salt and pepper.

5.    Place the chicken on the hot grill. Close the lid. Grill the chicken to 5-8 minutes on one side to get a nice brown color. Open the lid, turn the skewers, and close the lid for about 5 minutes. Repeat until chicken is golden brown and cooked*. Total cooking time is about 12-15 minutes on “medium” heat.                                    

* Note you may need to remove the pieces of meat at the tip first, as they may cook faster than the pieces near the handle. Slide the pieces near the handle toward the tip as the tip pieces are removed.

6.    Remove the meat from skewers and place on a platter. Serve warm. 

TIPS & TRICKS

•    I remove any large pieces of fat from the thighs, but don’t remove all of it. It adds flavor and will be rendered off in the cooking process.
•    Don’t marinade the cubes thigh meat more than 2 hours because the lemon juice will start to “cook” the chicken, making the flesh mushy.
•    If you wish you can keep the thighs whole. Just marinade and grill them.
•    A little fresh rosemary goes a long way. 
•    This chicken is fantastic cold. You can add it to a green salad, pasta, or even to the orzo salad recipe from this class.

Triple Berry Nut Crumble

Ingredients

6 cups berries: blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries, washed and cut into pieces
½ cup granulated sugar

Crumble:
1¼ cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup golden brown sugar
Pinch of salt
10 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces.
1½ cups coarsely chopped toasted nuts: walnuts, pecans, or almonds
1 pint vanilla ice cream 

1.    Preheat oven to 350º F.

2.    In a medium-size bowl, toss the berries with the granulated sugar until well combined. Pour into a 10”x12” baking dish.

3.    In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt, and butter. Using your fingers, mix until it resembles cornmeal. Toss in the nuts.

4.    Sprinkle the crumble on top of the berries and bake in a 350° F oven for about 50-60 minutes, or until brown and bubbling.

5.    Remove from oven and cool for at least 15 minutes before serving into individual bowls. 

6.    Can be served with ice cream, or a drizzle of heavy cream.

Roasted Nuts:

1.    Preheat oven 350º F. Place nuts on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Shake the pan and continue baking until nuts are toasted, about 3-5 more minutes.  Set aside.

TIPS & TRICKS

•    The crumble topping can be made ahead and just placed on top of berries before baking. 
•    This dish is best served warm.
•    I make several crumble topping’s ahead and place in Ziploc bags in my freezer. Then I just have to shop & prepare the berries. This makes this desert even easier!!
•    You can substitute other summer fruits. Peaches, nectarines, apricots work wonderfully in this recipe.
•    I pre-scoop my ice cream. Take a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Scoop soften ice cream onto the baking sheet. Placed the sheet pan into freezer. Remove the pre-scooped ice cream balls a few minutes before serving dessert. (Once the ice cream balls have frozen solid you can transfer them to a Ziploc bag if you’re short on freezer space.)