Pickled & Dirty Tomato Martini

A page from the September 2015 Food Network Magazine that's been sitting in a pile of similar ripped pages, from various sources, has kept being moved to the top of the pile for a while now. For some reason, who knows why, the urge to make them (finally) was so strong it sent me out the door for dill and tomatoes. (And later again for the coriander seeds I was sure were in the cabinet, but were not. (I'm sure they'll appear when I don't need them.)

The pretty tomatoes were tart, tangy, sweet, salty, garlicky, dilly - with just a bit of heat. SO good were they, even the pickling brine was delicious enough to drink. So why not make a pickle martini? I did. Thus, the Pickled & Dirty Tomato Martini graced my glass. (Pickled & dirty...I know there's a wry comment out there somewhere!)

I made a few small changes to the Food Network Magazine recipe - mainly more spices and garlic. Next time I'll try adding jalapeno or serrano peppers for even more heat. One of the benefits of cherry and grape tomatoes is that there are always tasty and colorful baskets of these lovlies year 'round. You (and I) can make them anytime!

Pickled & Dirty Tomato Martini

• 2 1/2 oz. Uncle Val's Peppered Gin (or gin of your choice)
• 1/2 oz. Dolin Blanc vermouth
• 1/2-3/4 oz. pickled tomato brine (pickled tomato recipe below)
• ice

Garnish

• pickled cherry and/or grape tomatoes - recipe below (I like the multicolored ones)
• fresh dill sprig

In a shaker tin (yes, I commit the sin of enjoying a shaken martini), add the gin, vermouth and pickled tomato brine. Add ice halfway up tin, cap and shake until tin is frosted. Strain into a chilled martini glass,  add a spear of pickled tomatoes, slap the fresh dill sprig to release the fragrance and garnish. Mmmmmmm....pickle-y.......

My own Quick Pickled Tomatoes

Quick Pickled Tomatoes

(adapted from the September 2015 Food Network Magazine)

• 1 pound cherry and/or grape tomatoes - I like lots of colors and sizes for a pretty jar full of pickled tomatoes
• 1 C apple cider vinegar
• 1 C water
• 1/4 C sugar
• 2 T Kosher salt
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 1/2 t coriander seeds
• 1 1/2 t mustard seeds
• 1/2 t red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 t black peppercorns
• 3/4 t pink peppercorns
• 3/4 t green peppercorns
• 3/4 C fresh dill

Have a clean 1 quart canning jar ready.

Bring vinegar and water to a boil. Add sugar, Kosher salt, coriander, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, and the various peppercorns. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved, remove from heat and allow to cool while you proceed.

Put a couple of dill sprigs into the bottom of the quart jar, add a layer of tomatoes and a smashed clove of garlic. Repeat the layers until the jar is nearly filled. Pour the warm liquid into the jar, cap and allow to cool completely on the counter. Refrigerate. The tomatoes will be ready to serve the next day.

Pittsburgh Strip District Italian Deli Pasta Bake

Winter in Pittsburgh. Temps are in the 50's and 60's one day, the teens the next. I don't know about you, but my internal appropriate-recipe-for-the-weather indicator has been swinging back and forth like some kind of crazed pendulum. 

My kitchen is as likely to see a fresh off the grill sizzling chicken breast atop a crisp, green salad as it is a pot of stew or chili simmering on the stove. As a result, I'm behind on making my favorite cold weather recipes, like my family's favorite macaroni and cheese with ground beef and tomatoes. I'd bet this old fashioned, homey casserole is one of your family's favorites, too. 

My mom used to make the dish with elbow macaroni, browned ground beef, onion, green pepper, cubes of cheddar (or even Velveeta!) and a can of tomato soup. Nope, she used no seasoning or garlic at all except for salt and (maybe) pepper. 

My version, many years later, ditched the soup for canned tomatoes, added fresh spinach (to pack more nutrition and the kids never knew there was spinach hidden in there), sometimes I used feta, sometimes mozzarella, sometimes mushrooms made it in, and always garlic. The recipe has always been changeable, but still maintained the basic tomatoes, ground beef, cheese and macaroni base. As does this twist.

As always with this casserole, a visual sweep of what's on hand is the first step. At first glance, the fridge revealed leftover cooked hot sausage links from last night's dinner and several slices of some good Strip District Parma Sausage Salami Rustico. That would be waaaaay better than plain old hamburger! Looking further down, I discovered my own home-smoked hot pepper cheese and even a little home-smoked mozz! The pantry, as always, contained cans of San Marzano tomatoes thanks to Penn Mac in the Strip. The Strip District Italian Deli Pasta Bake came into being. 

Maybe there IS a benefit to this oddball winter. A warm and sunny day is perfect for strolling the Strip picking up components for a comforting casserole to make when the temperature inevitably dips back into the chill zone. Maybe this IS the perfect winter weather after all.

Pittsburgh Strip District Italian Deli Pasta Bake

• 4 C cooked pasta - al dente, of course - I used gluten free penne
• 2 links cooked hot Italian sausage, sliced into rounds
• 1/2 C pre-sliced salami, cut into ribbons - I used Parma Sausage Salami Rustico, use whatever you have on hand...pepperoni works really well, too!
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 medium onion, medium dice
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 1/2 C real San Marzano tomatoes, don't drain off the liquid, use it all!
• 1 T dried oregano
• 1 t dried basil
• 1 t Jane's Crazy salt or kosher salt
• 2 T tomato paste - buy the tube so you don't waste the rest of a small can
• 1/2 lb diced smoked hot pepper cheese (or use your own favorite - cheddar, smoked cheddar, hot pepper cheese that hasn't been smoked)
• 1/2 C smoked mozzarella or smoked provolone for the top, shredded

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a shallow casserole dish with olive oil and set aside.

In a nonstick saute pan over medium heat, warm the cooked sausage slices and salami until both release their fats and the salami separates and no longer sticks together. Remove to a plate. In the same pan, add the olive oil and then the onion and garlic. Cook until soft, but not browned.

Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, basil, Jane's Crazy Salt and tomato paste. Combine well, then add the sausage and salami back to the pan. Combine all thoroughly.

In a large mixing bowl, add the cooked pasta and the tomato mixture, stir well. Add the diced cheese and mix gently again until everything is evenly distributed throughout. Pour into the prepared casserole dish, top with shredded cheese and bake 25-35 minutes.

Add a green salad and it's dinner, folks!

NOTE: If you like your version less spicy, use cheddar instead of hot pepper cheese and sweet Italian sausage in place of the hot version. Like it spicier? Top the casserole with pickled hot peppers after it comes out of the oven for a real Italian deli touch!

Spicy Barbacoa With Chilies For Tacos, Frito Pie And Especially For Chris

If there's one thing I'll consistently order at every Mexican restaurant I visit, it's anything that includes rich, flavorful, beefy barbacoa redolent with earthy chilies and warm spices. It hugs both my soul and my tummy at the very same time.

Speaking of warm and wonderful, my dear, sweet friend, Chris (who suddenly passed recently) adored Frito Pie. Of course she did, she was a Texan through and through! Her recipes reflected her great big Texas heart and her fiery, bright spirit; her messages to each member of the cooking group we belonged to were warm and loving. Chris is terribly missed. We are fortunate her love of food - especially all things spicy - lives on in her favorite recipes.

Just what is Frito Pie? It depends on who you ask. Search the internet and it comes in all varieties. Baked. Cold. Some crush the Fritos to make an actual pie crust. Most recipes use chili. Some use canned, some use homemade. Chili with or without beans...it doesn't seem to matter. And that's the beauty of this dish. It is totally versatile, open to interpretation, created each time at the whim of the cook. I love a forgiving recipe, don't you?

Many members of our cooking group made Frito Pie in Chris's memory. Undoubtedly she is smiling down from heaven that, all around the country, we're cooking one of her favorite treats just for her. Chris, this one's for you!

Spicy Barbacoa With Chilies

• 3 pound chuck roast
• 3 T canola oil
• 2 dried guajillo peppers, broken into small pieces (look for them in the Latin section of the grocery store)
• 2 dried ancho chilies, broken into small pieces (look for these in the same place as above)
• 2 t chipotle chile powder
• 2 t ancho chile powder
• 2 t smoked paprika
• 1 t hot paprika
• 3 T espresso powder
• 2 T granulated garlic
• 2 t onion powder
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1 1/2 T kosher salt
• 2 t cocoa nibs
• 3 T dark brown sugar
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes and peppers
• 2 onions, peeled and slivered - I used 1 yellow onion and 1 red onion
• 1 sweet red bell pepper, seeded and slivered
• 2 large jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed, slivered
• 1/2 head garlic, skins removed, sliced thinly
• 1 envelope ranch dressing mix
• 1 bottle of beer - use a good Mexican beer if you like - I used gluten free beer to keep this GF
• 2 T demerara sugar - or light brown sugar

Rub:

In a spice or coffee grinder - or a blender - put the pieces of dried chilies and dried cocoa nibs. Give them a good whirl until they're broken down into small pieces. Transfer to a small bowl and add the chile powders, paprikas, espresso powder, granulated garlic, onion powder, cinnamon, kosher salt and brown sugar. Mix together well. Rub half of the mixture into both sides of the roast and set the rest aside for the next time you make this - and you WILL.

Heat a skillet large enough to hold the chuck roast and add oil. When the oil is good and hot, carefully add the roast to the skillet and brown it well on both sides. 

While the beef is browning, add half the onions, sweet red pepper, garlic slivers and jalapeno to the slow cooker. Once it's browned place the chuck roast on top and add the rest of the onions, peppers, garlic and jalapenos, the can of RoTel and sprinkle on the demerara (or brown) sugar and the envelope of ranch dressing mix. Pour the beer over all, cover and cook on high for 6-7 hours. Once the roast falls apart easily, it's done. 

You can use it right away or refrigerate for the next day. Flavors are always better the next day, aren't they? Use for tacos, Chris's Frito Pie or any other use you can think of. Quesadillas? Sure! Nachos? Why not? Burritos? You bet! Here's how I used my Barbacoa.

Frito Pie for Chris.

Tacos: Take a couple of soft corn tortillas and lay on the barbacoa and your favorite goodies!

Frito Pie: In a shallow bowl, make a layer of Fritos, then barbacoa, shredded colby jack cheese (or your own fave cheese), diced avocado, thinly sliced green onions, a little chopped tomato and a sprinkling of cilantro. Oh, and a slathering of Hatch Chile salsa...Hatch chilies were Chris's favorite!

Crowd Pleasing Caponata

It's Thursday. Appropriately, today's post and recipe is a throwback. It brings back memories of our years in Maryland and to time spent catering art show openings at a little art gallery in the Federal Hill area of Baltimore. In those days, my Caponata was a favorite of exhibiting artists and gallery gawkers alike. These days, it's still a favorite of friends and family.

This eggplant, onion, olive appetizer is rich and velvety with a little celery crunch to offset the smoothness and it packs a little pizzazz via a hint of red pepper flake heat...and then there's this zippy sweet/sour vibe going on, too. Caponata is a hearty dish that somehow satisfies vegetarians and meat eaters alike which means it's a great recipe to have in your arsenal.

A traditional Italian appetizer, Caponata is nicely versatile, too. I like to serve it on toasted baguette slices or in lettuce cups, but it also makes the transition to dinner as a lovely topping for plain grilled chicken or even on a New Orleans-style muffaletta. My guess is that it works on a muffaletta because my version is more olive-y than the traditional ones...almost a cross between a tapenade and caponata. I use a lot less olive oil than the usual, too. Not that less olive oil makes my Caponata a diet dish, but all those veggies are good for you!

Give this delightful little dish a spin the next time you entertain. You might just find Caponata becomes a crowd pleaser in your recipe repertoire...and eventually earns a spot on your very own throwback list of favorite recipes.   

Caponata

• 1/3 C olive oil
• 2 large eggplants, caps and bottoms cut off, half of the peel cut off (half left on for the beautiful color) and cut into 1/4" dice
• 1 large sweet onion, peeled and cut into small dice
• 1/2 C petite diced canned tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 C pimiento stuffed green olives, diced
• 1/2 C pitted kalamata olives, diced
• 1/4 C red wine vinegar
• 2 T sugar
• 1 t kosher salt
• Lots of freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 t dried hot pepper flakes
• (optional) a jar of marinated artichokes, drained and diced

I use a large electric skillet.

Heat the oil in the skillet and cook eggplant until soft, but not browned. Remove the eggplant and set aside.

Add onions and celery and cook until the onions are soft, but the celery still has crunch.

Add tomatoes, olives and the eggplant; combine well. Add vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. If you're using marinated artichokes, add them in here.

Simmer for 15 minutes or so until nicely melded. Let the mixture come to room temperature before serving.

Serve in a bowl and let your guests top toasted baguette slices or Romaine lettuce leaves. It's really good just as a salad or even as a topping for grilled chicken or on a (not so) traditional New Orleans-style Muffaletta. 

 

Caponata diced sort of uniformly and simmering in the skillet.

Grillades And Fresh Veggie "Spaghetti"

The good folks at Tuttorosso Tomatoes (who sent a lovely variety of products to my door) are featuring lightened recipes for spring on their website...of course using their very fine products.

Coincidentally, I recently came upon a recipe I'd never heard of before...grillades (pronounced GREE-yads) and grits. After checking out a number of recipes, I decided it sounded a lot like the Swiss steak I've made for many years only with a decidedly Cajun/Creole twist. This was something that needed to be made...and Tuttorosso tomatoes would be perfect for the recreation of a southern classic.

While the recipe I developed didn't use the dark roux used in versions I read (gluten-free issue, you know), I think my recipe is a little lighter, features more healthy trinity veggies - peppers, onion and celery - and even includes my favorite southern veggie staple....okra! (You know how I LOVE okra!) The bonus of adding okra is that it helps to thicken the sauce and adds lots of flavor at the same time.

Since the Tuttorosso promotion, Inspiralize the Spring, lightens recipes by using spiralized veggies in place of pasta, I did the same in place of cheese grits. You CAN use cheese grits instead, of course, but I found the raw zucchini and red peppers I used made for a very bright base for the tomato and beef Grillades. Hot grillades over raw spiralized veggies cooked the veggies just enough to keep them crisp, yet still brought out all the wonderful veggie flavor.

The online Tuttorosso promotion features recipes by Ali Maffucci like Parsnip Spaghetti All' Amatriciana, Pasta Arrabiata with Carrot Noodles, and Spiralized Turnip Mushroom and Tomato Risotto. Obviously, Ali is a Spiralizer master! 

Check out those and other recipes at Inspiralize Spring and while you're there, enter to win aprons, Ali's cookbook, "Inspiralized," an Inspiralizer or the Grand Prize of all of the above PLUS more kitchen gadgets packed into a picnic basket. What are you waiting for? When you're done entering the contest, come on back and make a nice pot of Grillades and Fresh Veggie Spaghetti!

Grillades and Fresh Veggie "Spaghetti"

• 2 1/2 pounds round steak, pounded thin and cut into approximately 4" X 4" pieces
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3/4 C flour (gluten-free in my case)
• 2 T Paul Prudhomme's Magic Salt Free Seasoning, divided
• canola oil
• 2 T butter
• 2 large onions, peeled and diced
• 1 large green pepper, seeded and dixed
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 C beef stock, salt free or low sodium
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
•  28 oz. can of Tuttorosso diced tomatoes
• 12 oz. frozen okra

• 2 zucchini, spiralized
• 1 red pepper, julienned (didn't spiralize well, what the heck...julienning worked just as well)

Combine the flour and 2 T Paul Prudhomme's in a plastic bag. Set aside.

Salt and pepper both sides of the round steak pieces, then shake them in the flour mixture until well coated.

Heat enough canola oil in the bottom of an skillet (or a slow cooker than browns - I use an Instant Pot that browns...LOVE it!!!!!) and brown the meat well on both sides. Remove to a plate.

Add a touch of butter to the bottom of the skillet, browning slow cooker (or Instant Pot) and saute the onions, green peppers, celery and garlic until soft. 

If you don't have a browning slow cooker, transfer the meat to a slow cooker. Then pour all the veggies over the top, add the stock, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, and okra over all and then gently combine all.

Cover and set your slow cooker (or Instant Pot) to high and let 'er rip for 4 hours. At the end of the time, uncover and taste, then adjust seasonings - I added another teaspoon of salt, a tablespoon of Paul Prudhomme's, another tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and 2 tablespoons of Frank's hot sauce.

To serve, pile the spiralized zucchini and red pepper on a plate and spoon the Grillades over top. Unless, of course, you decide to use traditional grits! Go for it!

Eggs In Purgatory With Sweet Italian Sausage

Without fail. Every time I see Eggs In Purgatory on a brunch menu, that is exactly what I order. Every. Single. Time. 

There it is on the menu of Meat & Potatoes (Downtown Pittsburgh)

And here it is smack dab in front of me!

Why? Undoubtedly it's the zip of spicy, peppery tomato against lush, smooth, creamy and cheesy polenta topped with perfectly poached eggs that create such richness that it sets my pulse to racing. Brunch paradise, I tell you!

Stagioni's (Southside Pittsburgh) simple and classic take on Eggs in Purgatory

Redpack tomatoes recently sent me a kit of products to try out in conjunction with their Carnevale promotion. The moment I opened the box and saw the goodies, I knew just what I'd be making with the variety of tomato products inside.  

Could I make Eggs In Purgatory in my very own kitchen? Would it compare to the restaurant versions? Could it be simple enough to make whenever I got the urge? The answers: yes, yes and YES! Not only that, you can do it easily too!

I started with a spicy arrabbiata sauce that came together in just minutes...this would be a quick sauce for weeknights, too! While the sauce simmered, the polenta cooked and all that was left was to poach the eggs and plate the dish. And yes, it was everything I'd hoped it could be!

Want to check out some more recipes and enter to win a kit from Redpack just like I got in the mail? Head on over to http://www.redgold.com/redpack/Carnevale for the scoop on how to enter and to get recipes for Tuscan Tomato Bruschetta, Antipasto Salad, Authentic Italian Gravy, Pizza Stromboli, Baked Ziti (you KNOW how we Pittsburghers love our ziti!) and Chicken Parmesan. 

Now here's my own recipe for my very favorite brunch. Ever!

Eggs In Purgatory With Sweet Italian Sausage

• 1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
• 1 T crushed red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how much heat you can handle...it's purgatory, remember)
• 6 oz. can Redpack tomato paste
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 4 T minced fresh basil
• 28 oz. can Redpack diced tomatoes
• 2 t Kosher salt
• 3 links sweet Italian sausage, broken into medium large chunks, browned and drained
• cooked parmesan polenta (see recipe below)
• poached eggs
• freshly shaved parmesan

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add crushed red pepper flakes and stir a few seconds before adding the minced garlic - stir a few seconds again, then stir in the tomato paste. Let the mixture cook a couple of minutes to caramelize the sugars in the tomato paste and the garlic. Add salt, basil - stir together well, then add the can of diced tomatoes. Stir until well combined, add the cooked sausage, combine into the sauce and that's it! Set aside.

Poach as many eggs as you need to serve as many people as you are serving. Then begin assembly.

Spoon warm polenta into individual serving dishes, make a nice well to snuggle the eggs into. Spoon Arrabbiata sauce around the polenta, place the eggs into the well you made in the polenta, shave fresh parm over all and serve! 

  

Arrabbiata sauce, sweet Italian sausage and Redpack tomato products.

Did you know that "arrabbiata" means angry in Italian? Reportedly the sauce is angry because of the hot peppers. Or could it be because it's often found in Purgatory? Hmmmmmm......

Parmesan Polenta

• 8 C chicken stock - I used unsalted
• 2 t. salt - use less if your stock is already salted
• 2 C polenta
• 3 T. butter
• 2/3 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a large, deep, heavy-bottomed pot, bring the stock and salt to a boil. Sloooooowwwwly pour in the polenta while stirring constantly. Continue stirring for a minute or two until you're sure the mixture is smooth. Stir frequently for another 20-25 minutes until the polenta is thick and smooth and creamy. Stir in the butter and the Parmesan completely. 

Spinach & Parm Meatballs And Sausage With Hot Banana Pepper Sauce

Staring at the takeout menu, the decision is always the same when a hot hoagie is the night's craving. Meatball or hot sausage?  Okay, maybe a steak n' cheese might figure into the equation, too, on occasion. But generally, it's meatball or hot sausage for me.

And then there's the gluten issue getting in the way of simply ordering from a takeout menu. Except for Mandy's Pizza in West View (thank you Steve for doing amazing GF pizzas, hoagies, calzones and pastas ALL in a GF version!), usually if I want a hoagie, it's going to be homemade. As long as I'm doing my own meatballs or hot sausage, why not make it the way I really want it? Why NOT do both meatballs AND sausage in the same sandwich so there are no potential life altering decisions to be made? Why not indeed. So I did.

Every good meatball or sausage hoagie (did you know I still say "sub" sometimes from my years in Maryland?) starts with a doggone good tomato sauce. Since I still have hot banana peppers from the CSA, that's where I started. And really, Italian hot banana peppers are just made for a good sauce on an Italian hoagie! After starting with the peppers, I added lots of garlic, San Marzano tomatoes, fresh basil and good red wine. Good start.

My meatballs are a nice light version with chopped fresh spinach and a hefty amount of Parmesan, as well as fresh bread and heavy cream to be sure the meatballs stay light and tender. Because the sauce itself packs a nice wallop of heat, instead of my usual hot sausage, I used sweet Italian sausage and let the sauce carry the heat for the dish. 

Once the sauce, meatballs and sausage had simmered on the stovetop for a while, all that was needed were good, crusty hoagie rolls (or Udi's GF baguettes for me) and a nice smoky provolone to tuck into the sandwich to get all gooey and melty. Just like takeout!

And the leftovers? Turn the sauce, meatballs and sausage into an easy casserole for a dinner the whole family will love! Who doesn't like double duty dinners?! 

Spinach & Parm Meatballs And Sausage 

With Hot Banana Pepper Sauce

Sauce:

• 3 T olive oil
• 2 large sliced banana peppers - HOT ones!, tops removed, seeds removed, sliced across into thin wheels
• 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 C fresh basil, chopped
• 1 T Kosher salt
• lots of freshly ground black peppercorns
• 2 - 1 lb 12 oz cans of San Marzano tomatoes in puree w/ basil leaf
• 1/3  (or more?) C good red wine

Meatballs:

• 1 1/3 lb lean ground beef
• 1 egg
• 2 T Italian flatleaf parsley, chopped
• a generous 1/2 C fresh spinach, chopped - measured after chopping
• Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 t granulated garlic
• 2 T heavy cream
• 1 slice firm bread, crumbled finely - I use gluten-free bread to make this GF, but if gluten isn't an issue use something like Pepperidge Farm

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage links, cut in half and browned in a skillet

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Start with the sauce. In a large pot, add the olive oil and add the banana peppers and garlic. Saute gently until the veggies are softened, but not browned. Add the basil and stir in well, then add the salt & pepper, tomatoes (crushing each tomato with your hand and fingers as you put it in) and wine. Stir well, bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to a simmer. Let simmer gently while making the meatballs & sausage.

In a large bowl, mix all the meatball ingredients well, but lightly. Make meatballs about the size of golf balls and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 40 minutes until beautifully browned. 

Add meatballs and browned sausage into the sauce and simmer an hour or so. Don't let the sauce reduce too much, but just to a nice spoonable consistency. Stir occasionally, making sure the bottom isn't burning. 

Serve on good crisp hoagie buns with slices of provolone, if you wish. To make these GF, I use Udi's baguettes. Fabulous!

NOTE: What to do with leftovers besides more hoagies? Cut each meatball in half, and the sausages, too. Cook rigatoni or medium shells, drain and add meatballs and sausage with enough sauce to coat the pasta well. Add cubes of mozzarella and some parm, mix well, pour into a large shallow casserole dish, cover with more shredded mozz and bake at 400 degrees just until the casserole bubbles nicely. Serve with a good salad and garlic bread. Easy dinner! 

Oh what the hell, here's a bonus recipe for the casserole:

Meatballs, Sausage & Shells 

Quick and Easy Casserole

• 8 oz. large shell pasta - I use gluten-free to make this GF - cooked just under al dente to allow for time in the oven
• 4 C leftover meatballs and sausage, each cut in half
• 1 C leftover banana pepper sauce
• 4 oz. sharp provolone, cut in 1/2" dice
• 4 oz. firm mozzarella, cut in 1/2" dice
• 4 oz. fontina, cut in 1/4" dice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Drain the shells and return to the pot. Add the sauce and stir gently to coat, trying to separate the shells. Add the halved meatballs and sausage and the cheeses, again trying to separate the shells so they're evenly distributed with the meats. 

Spray a shallow casserole dish with Pam and pour the mixture into the dish. Bake for about 50 minutes until the cheeses are melted and the casserole is bubbly.

Easy, family pleasing dinner! 

Fresh Corn, Potato, Tomato, Jalapeno and Bacon Chowder

Our weekly CSA box has been bursting with beautiful ears of corn! Just my small share has produced 4-6 ears every week - not a problem, right? Well...not unless you shouldn't be eating things like corn, nuts and seeds.

It's so frustrating to wait all year long for fresh and local corn season to roll around - so fresh that when you press a fingernail into a kernel, juice squirts so high you sometimes get hit straight in the eye - and then not be able to eat any. (You did know the fingernail test is the gold standard test for corn, didn't you? If a corn kernel doesn't squirt when you press a fingernail into it, just step away from the corn, ma'am.)

Having to miss corn season this year had me mentally scrambling for ways to still enjoy the sweet goodness of the season without encountering any of the unfortunate side effects of the whole kernels. Soup. Fresh corn soup. Specifically, fresh corn, potato, tomato and jalapeno chowder with BACON!

What if I cut the kernels off the cob, simmered them long and slow in a rich broth (WITH the kernel-naked cobs to infuse an even corn-ier flavor), then whirred the bejeezus out of them with my stick blender? Would I end up with a big pot of corn flavor without the dreaded whole kernels? 

Ladies and gentlemen, the experiment was a success. No, the resultant chowder base wasn't smooth as silk, but it didn't matter when nice chunks of potato, tomato, onion, jalapeno and bacon studded the chowder making for a good and hearty meal-in-a-bowl.

Gilding the lily, I topped each bowlful with a sprinkle of chopped tomato, diced avocado and crisp bacon pieces. Ahhhh, summer corn goodness!

Fresh Corn, Potato, Tomato, Jalapeno 

and Bacon Chowder

• 4 slices bacon - thick sliced, cut across into 1/2" lardons - reserve the cooked lardons for garnish
• 4 ears of fresh corn - cut the kernels from the cobs and transfer to a bowl, then take your knife and scrape the bare cobs over the bowl to capture all the last vestiges of corny goodness
• 3/4 C red onion, diced 
• 1/2 stick butter - unsalted
• 2 large jalapenos, seeds removed, minced
• 4 large red potatoes, scrubbed and skins left on - diced small - like hash brown size
• 72 oz. store-bought chicken stock - a good gluten-free one to make this GF
• 1 T Jane's Crazy Salt
• 3 large fresh tomatoes, diced small - same as potatoes, reserve the last tomato for garnish
• 1 avocado, diced - for garnish
• shredded cheddar - for garnish

Saute bacon until crisp in a heavy bottomed soup pot. Remove and reserve the lardons for garnish. Add corn kernels and onion. Saute until the onion is translucent and then add the chicken stock. Next add the naked corn cobs, bring the soup to a boil and immediately lower to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook until the corn is tender as can be, about an hour. 

When the corn gets to the tender point, remove the cobs, letting as much broth as possible drip back into the pot. Now it's time to get out the stick blender (aka, immersion blender). Whirr the hell out of the kernels until they are all pulverized and return the soup to a simmer. 

While the soup is simmering, melt the butter in a heavy skillet, then add the jalapenos and potatoes. Once they soften, add them to the soup as well, along with 2 of the diced tomatoes and the Jane's Crazy Salt. Simmer until the potatoes are cooked through and beginning to get a little mealy. (Be sure to put the lid back on the pot.)

Once the chowder comes together nicely, ladle it into bowls and garnish with healthy handful of shredded cheddar, topped with reserved chopped tomato, bacon and avocado. Enjoy!

Caprese Crostini With Grilled Basil Serrano Chicken

Simple. That's what I think of when warm weather and sunshine roll around this way again. Once the temperatures climb and soft breezes stir the leaves in the trees, I want nothing more after a long weekend day of working in the yard than to chill on the deck. Honestly, after a long weekday of sitting and squinting at the computer, I want the exact same thing! 

Dinner? Simple food. Pop a few veggies onto the grill with burgers or chicken or a nice thick steak and add a crisp green salad and sliced sweet watermelon or juicy pineapple. I want clean, fresh flavors. Which brought this recipe to fruition last Sunday. 

Chicken tenders were marinated in a bright combination of fresh basil, serrano pepper, garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Then the grill was fired up, the chicken threaded onto one set of metal skewers and tomatoes onto another, while a few first of the season, new-to-the-market Vidalia onions and sweet red peppers roasted beside. Once the chicken and veggies came off the grill, thick baguette slices brushed with basil-serrano-garlic oil went on the grates to take on a golden hue...well, except for those two that incinerated on one side. Oops! 

The result? An early taste of summer. Using the beautifully browned baguette crostinis as a base, a grilled tomato was smooshed on top of each, then a whole bright green basil leaf, next a thin slice of creamy fresh mozzarella and finally pieces of warm, basil-y, garlic-y, slightly spicy chicken. Easy, simple, fresh and just right for dinner on the deck, listening to the birds and the leaves and the gurgling of the pond. This is the life...the simple life! 

Caprese Crostini 

With Grilled Basil Serrano Chicken 

Marinade: 

• 2 large fresh basil leaves 
• 2 slices of a fresh serrano pepper - or jalapeno for a little less heat (Not a fan of heat at all? Leave the hot peppers out!) 
• 1/4 C good extra virgin olive oil 
• balsamic vinegar - see below for amount 
• 1/2 t Kosher salt 
• freshly ground black pepper to taste 
• 1 clove minced garlic 

• 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders or thinly sliced boneless chicken breast - this is more than you need, but I make extra for salads during the week
• Extra large cherry or grape tomatoes - I used small Marzano tomatoes I found at the store...so sweet! 
• fresh mozzarella 
• fresh basil leaves 
• 1 baguette, sliced diagonally about 1" thick, brushed with the reserved marinade on both sides (do NOT use the marinade the chicken was in!) - I used Udi's gluten free baguette - to make this GF  (BTW, this is a fabulous gluten-free product...good old-fashioned hoagies, here I come!) 

Marinade: In a see-through liquid measuring cup, add slices of serrano chilis (or jalapeno if you want a little less heat...or leave out completely if you don't want any heat at all), 2 large basil leaves, good extra virgin olive oil up to the 1/4 C line and muddle the oil, chilies and basil nicely. Then add balsamic vinegar up to 1/3 C line. 

To the same measuring cup, add 1 minced garlic clove, 1/2 t Kosher salt and a hefty grinding of  black peppercorns. Whisk well, pour 1/4 of the mixture into a small dish (this is the reserved marinade), then pour the rest into a quart-sized zip top bag. Add the chicken tenders, squeeze out all the air and zip securely. Squeeze the bag and moosh everything around until the marinade surrounds all the chicken; put the bag into a bowl that holds it securely to prevent any leaks from going all over your fridge (yuck!) and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. 

When you're ready for dinner, fire up the grill. Thread the chicken on metal skewers, thread the tomatoes long-ways onto separate metal skewers (if you don't have metal skewers, use wooden or bamboo skewers and soak them in water for at least an hour before grilling to keep them from going up in flames!) Turn the heat down to medium and grill the chicken on both sides until cooked through. Grill the tomatoes until they blister and soften, but take them off before they're so soft they fall of the skewers! 

Once the chicken and tomatoes are done, that's when I put the baguette slices on the grill - watch them carefully so they don't burn - and grill to golden on both sides. 

Assembly: Take a grilled baguette slice and smoosh a grilled tomato on top with a sprinkle of Kosher salt, then a nice basil leaf, a slice of fresh mozzarella, then a piece of grilled chicken and finish with another sprinkle of Kosher salt and a grind of black pepper. 

A few crostini, a few grilled veggies, a simple green salad, a glass of wine...aaaahhhhhhh....summer grilling season is here!!!!!

NOTE: This makes a festive appetizer or starter for deck parties, too!