Tortellini Artichoke Salad
Tortellini and Artichoke Salad
With warmer weather I wanted a dish that could be a side salad or a main dish and require little cooking. I came up with this tortellini and artichoke salad. I had some frozen cheese tortellini that only required 5 minutes of gentle simmering. I also had some garlic scapes and a large scallion I got at Blue Pike Farm the other day. Zest and juice from fresh limes added some extra zip.
Tortellini Artichoke Salad
1 lb. cheese tortellini, cooked and cooled
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. chopped garlic scapes*
1/2 c. chopped green onion
zest of 1 lime
juice of 2 limes
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
hot sauce to taste – I used about 2 teaspoons
salt and pepper to taste
Combine tortellini and artichoke hearts and set aside. Heat oil in skillet and cook scapes and green onion until crispy- about 5 minutes. Pour skillet contents into tortellini mixture, including the oil. Add remaining ingredients. Adjust seasonings,. Chill at least a couple of hours. Serves 8 as a side dish, 4 as a main dish.
*garlic scapes are the stems of garlic plants that are cut off the garlic plants to produce bigger cloves. They taste like garlic and look like curly green onions. If you don’t have garlic scapes add extra green onion and some fresh minced garlic to the dish.
Garlic scapes and a scallion
Amy’s Strawberry Chocolate Tart
Strawberry Chocolate Tart
I had an extra pie crust, some strawberries and a dinner with friends. I had said I’d bring the dessert. Since I made strawberry pie the day before for another friend I wanted to do something a little different. I decided to go with a tart. I also know the host of the dinner is mad for chocolate so I wanted to incorporate chocolate into the dessert. Here is the dessert I ended up with. It was a big hit and I plan on doing something similar with raspberries soon.
Amy’s Strawberry Chocolate Tart
1 pie crust- homemade or store bought*
1 cup chocolate chips- or 6 oz. bittersweet chocolate
2 T. butter
1 qt. fresh strawberries, washed and stem ends sliced off
Strawberry glaze:
1 c. strawberries, chopped
1/2 c. sugar, or to taste
1/4 c. water
1 T. cornstarch
Using a tart pan, roll out your crust and fit it into the pan- trim off any excess. Pre-bake your crust. To do this the prepared pie crust should be pricked all over with a fork. Cover the surface with foil and then pie weights. I use dry beans for my pie weights. Pre-heat oven to 400-degrees. Bake crust for 15-20 minutes. Check to be sure it doesn’t get too brown. Remove weights and foil and cool until ready to use. While crust is baking you can prepare the strawberry glaze. Combine 1 cup berries and sugar in small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook five minutes, mashing the berries a little. Strain out the solids and return the liquid to the pan. Combine the water with the cornstarch and add to the strawberry liquid, cooking until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat to cool. Combine chocolate and butter in microwave- safe dish and microwave on high for 45 seconds to a minute . Stir mixture until smooth- you might need to nuke it a few more seconds. Spread melted chocolate over the bottom of the tart crust. Press the berries into the chocolate- pointed side up. Once the tart is full of berries spoon some of the glaze over the berries and chill at least an hour before serving. Serve with whipped cream, if desired. Serves 6.
Half and Half Dough*
This is a great crust for liquid fillings like custard type pies and fresh fruit pies.
¼ c. butter, room temp
½ c. shortening, room temp- you can use lard instead
¼ c. sugar
½ t. salt
2½ c. pastry or all purpose flour
1/8 t. baking powder
¼ c. milk
1 t. lemon juice
Cream together the first 4 ingredients until smooth. Mix together the flour and baking powder. Set aside. Combine milk with the juice and set aside. Stir ½ c. of the flour into butter mixture. Stir until smooth. Add a little of the milk, stirring until smooth. Add remaining ingredients alternately until finished. Dough will firm up once chilled. Chill at least 4 hours before using. Makes 2 crusts.
Cover crust with melted chocolate
Arrange berries on top of chocolate
Spoon glaze over berries and chill tart before serving
Fresh Strawberry Pie
Fresh Strawberry Pie
When I was a kid there was a local restaurant known for its strawberry pie. It became a favorite of mine back then and strawberry pie is still a favorite. It wouldn’t be June if I didn’t make at least one. A nice benefit over most other pies is that only the crust has to be baked- that takes just a few minutes- so you also don’t need the oven on for very long and the house stays cooler. I used a homemade crust, but use store bought or whatever crust you like best.
Fresh Strawberry Pie
1 9-inch pie crust, baked and cooled -recipe follows
1 qt strawberries (1¼ lbs), hulled
1 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
¼ c. water
1 T. butter
4 oz. cream cheese
Whipped cream, optional
Select about 25-30 berries to be placed in pie crust, large side down and set aside. Puree or crush remaining berries. Place in a saucepan with the sugar and bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch with water and stir until smooth. Add to the strawberry mixture and cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and gets clear. Simmer about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Set aside. Place cream cheese in a small bowl and mash with about a tablespoonful of the puree. Spread on the crust and arrange the reserved berries on the crust pointy side up. Put the largest berry in the middle and arrange the rest around it decoratively. Spoon the puree over the berries and allow the pie to cool down a little before putting in the fridge. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.
Note: other berries can also be used including raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, or a combination. This recipe can also be used as a filling for tarts and tartlets.
Half and Half Dough*
This is a great crust for liquid fillings like custard type pies and fresh fruit pies.
¼ c. butter, room temp
½ c. shortening, room temp- you can use lard instead
¼ c. sugar
½ t. salt
2½ c. pastry or all purpose flour
1/8 t. baking powder
¼ c. milk
1 t. lemon juice
Cream together the first 4 ingredients until smooth. Mix together the flour and baking powder. Set aside. Combine milk with the juice and set aside. Stir ½ c. of the flour into butter mixture. Stir until smooth. Add a little of the milk, stirring until smooth. Add remaining ingredients alternately until finished. Dough will firm up once chilled. Chill at least 4 hours before using. Makes 2 crusts.
* this recipe makes 2 crusts- which makes me think you should just make 2 pies. If you don’t want to do that- the other half of the dough will freeze well for a few months. Seriously though, just make 2 pies!!!
Pesto Potato Salad
Pesto Potato Salad
I never met a potato I didn’t like. This time of year it’s all about potato salads. I make them a lot and always look for new ways to change them. I love pesto sauce and the combination is quite nice.
Pesto Potato Salad
2 lbs. Boiling potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1 c. basil leaves
3 T. pine nuts, walnuts or pecans
3 T. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste
Cook potatoes until tender. Cool. In blender combine remaining ingredients, except 1 tablespoon of the nuts. Pour blended mixture over potatoes and sprinkle with the reserved nuts. Chill. Serves 6-8.
Scallops with Broccoli Rabe
Scallops and Broccoli Rabe
I had some beautiful broccoli rabe and was looking for a quick meal to make with it. Broccoli rabe is also known as rapini. (Pictured below)
Its been hot lately and I didn’t want anything that took a long time to cook. I found some scallops in the freezer and went with it. I sauteed an onion in some oil and while that was cooking I chopped the broccoli rabe and blanched it in a small pot of boiling water. I used a slotted spoon to get the broccoli rabe out of the water and set it aside. In the same boiling water I cooked some angel hair pasta. It only takes about 5 minutes to cook. I added the scallops to the onions in the skillet and sauteed them for a couple of minutes. I pulled the scallops and onions out of the pan. I added a little more oil and then the broccoli rabe and the hot cooked pasta to the skillet. I added some salt, pepper, a little hot sauce and some parsley. I added the scallops to the pasta mixture and stirred until heated through. Easy, fast and very tasty. About 20 minutes start to finish.
Broccoli Rabe
Multi Bean Salad
Multi Bean Salad
I’ve been on a salad kick lately. Maybe the high temps have something to do with that. I was talking to my friend, Mari, last night and we were talking about favorite salads. We both agreed that we love bean salad. As a kid I remember my Mom’s three bean salad. I find myself making this dish with more than three types of beans. Everyone seems to have their favorite combination. I start with green beans and then check out my pantry for what other beans to add. Here is the one I made this time.
Multi- Bean Salad
1 lb. cooked green beans, sliced
1 can lima beans, rinsed and drained
1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
1 c. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. oil
2 T. Tuscan seasoning- or whatever herb blend you like
1 T. hot sauce, or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine beans with onions and parsley in a medium bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the bean mixture. Stir well and chill a couple of hours before serving. Serves 8.
Smoky Succotash Salad
Smoky Succotash Salad
I was looking for a salad idea the other day and found the answer in my freezer. I had a bag of lima beans and some corn from last year. I also had a ham bone. Not what you might think of for a salad but I needed it to work. I started by putting the ham bone in a pot with some water and let it simmer for an hour or so- to get some of the flavor out. I added the lima beans and corn and cooked them until tender- about 10 minutes. I figured this would add flavor to them. I drained off the veggies, let them cool, and combined them with a sweet pepper and ham I’d cut off the bone. I still needed a dressing and since I had an open container of sour cream I used that. Here is the recipe I ended up with. It ended up tasting really good. Went well with steaks and tuna off the grill.
Smoky Succotash Salad
1 lb. lima beans, cooked and cooled
4 c. corn off the cob, cooked and cooled
1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
1-2 c. cooked ham, diced
Dressing:
2/3 c. sour cream
3 T. apple cider vinegar
2 T. sugar
1 t. grated ginger
1 t. hot sauce, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Combine veggies with the ham in medium bowl. In small bowl stir together dressing ingredients until smooth and toss with the veggie mixture. Chill until ready to serve. Serves 6.
Warm Pasta Salad
Warm Pasta Salad
I love to make this salad when I have really good tomatoes. It is one of my favorite ways to enjoy fresh tomatoes. The base of the salad is a mixture of tomatoes, mushrooms, onion and some seasonings which are allowed to blend together in the fridge overnight. When you are ready to have your salad toss the cold tomato mixture with fresh cooked hot pasta. The pasta tomato mixture is served right then, warm and fragrant. I often sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on the top, or serve on the side. I do sometimes serve the salad cold.
Warm Pasta Salad
1 lb. Plum tomatoes, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
4oz. Fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ c. fresh parsley, chopped
1 T. dried basil 1 T. capers, optional
1 t. dried oregano
½ c. olive oil
¼ c. red wine vinegar
3 T. balsamic vinegar
Dash of hot red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
1 lb. Uncooked pasta
Combine all ingredients, except pasta and chill overnight. Cook pasta, drain and toss with tomato mixture. Mixture should be served right away . Serves 6.
Ice Cream Cake Roll
Ice Cream Cake Roll
I was looking for a seasonal dessert for dinner with friends. Since the weather has been getting warmer I decided to make a cake roll and fill it with ice cream. I used homemade strawberry ice cream, recipe follows. You could use store bought ice cream, if you prefer. Start with the sponge cake roll recipe below and use whatever flavor ice cream you like. You’ll need about a quart of ice cream- or a little more.
Sponge Cake Roll
This sponge cake roll can be filled with whipped cream or ice cream, or use your favorite filling.
5 eggs, separated
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2/3 cup cake flour*
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons melted butter
Beat egg yolks until thicken and lemon colored; gradually add 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar, the lemon juice and the lemon zest. Beat egg whites until almost stiff then gradually beat in the remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Fold yolk mixture into whites. Sift dry ingredients into a separate container; add to egg mixture, folding in carefully. Fold in melted butter. Pour batter into waxed paper-lined 10x15x1-inch jelly roll pan. Bake at 375° for 12 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Turn onto a clean kitchen towel which has been generously dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Trim edges, if necessary; roll cake up, towel and all, while still warm. Let cool completely. Unroll and fill with whipped cream or ice cream then re-roll cake. The trick is to let the ice cream soften up a few minutes before spreading it on the cake. But don’t wait too long. Rather than trying to let the ice cream get soft enough to spread I used a spatula to sort of cut slices of ice cream and place them on the cake. Store ice cream cake roll in freezer until ready to slice and serve.
*If you don’t have cake flour you can make your own. Measure out a cup of all purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons of flour and replace them with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. For larger amounts place 7 cups of flour in a bowl and combine with 1 cup of cornstarch. Mix well or even sift together. Store in an airtight container.
Roll up cake in a towel while still warm
Spread softened ice cream over cake and re-roll.
Keep in freezer until ready to slice and serve
Strawberry Ice Cream
2 c. chopped strawberries
1 c. sugar
1 T. vanilla
2 c. cream or half and half or a combination. You can also use some milk or even almond or rice milk.
Additional sugar to taste
Place strawberries, vanilla and sugar in saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and chill. Combine chilled berry mixture with cream. Add additional sugar if you like. Remember that once it is frozen the ice cream will not taste as sweet so make this mixture a little sweeter than you want the final product to be. How much sugar you add varies with personal taste and how sweet the berries are. Place in an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s directions. Once finished put in an sir- tight container and place in freezer. Makes about 1 quart.
Chocolate Crepes
Chocolate Crepe
After making dessert crepes the other day I decided to make a batch of chocolate crepes, too. I still had strawberries so that is what I used to fill them, along with some whipped cream. Truth is, you can fill them with all sorts of stuff. I had fresh berries so that is what I used. I added some Kahlua to the batter for a little extra flavor and it worked out just great. Here is the recipe.
Chocolate Crepes
1 c. flour
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
¼ c. cocoa
3 T. sugar
¼ c. Kahlua or other coffee flavored liqueur or ¼ c. strong coffee
1/4 c. butter, melted and cooled
Mix all ingredients in blender (except butter) until smooth, scraping sides often. Add butter and blend well. Let stand for 30 minutes before using, or batter can be refrigerated, covered, overnight. Beat again, just before using.
Heat 6 or 7 inch skillet. Brush with butter or oil and pour in about 1 tablespoon of batter, tipping pan to cover bottom of pan completely with batter. Cook until edges start to brown, turn over and cook until lightly browned (about 2 minutes per side.)
Crepes can be made day ahead or even frozen between sheets of waxed paper and frozen. Makes 18.
Strawberry filling: I just sliced a couple of pounds of berries and added a little sugar- about ½ cup- a tablespoon of vanilla and a healthy dash of cinnamon.
When filling the crepes I spooned some berries down the center of the crepe and added some whipped cream. Folded over, topped with a few berries and another bit of whipped cream.
Cooking the crepe
Adding the berries
Added some whipped cream, too.
