From the experts...

Andrew Weil, M.D. - How to Make Tuscan Kale Salad from Andrew Weil, M.D. on Vimeo.

We were very honored to hear that Dr. Andrew Weil was cooking with our own Tuscan Kale. Check out the video from Dr. Weil and Michael Stebner from True Food Kitchen making a Kale Salad using McClendon's Select Kale. If you haven't tried the Kale Salad at True Food you are missing out. You feel healthier with each bite, and there is not an ounce of guilt for eating something that tastes so good. It is very generous of them to share the recipe for their incredible salad. (This recipe is also on their website, you can find it here.)

We also recently had another chef sharing her brilliance at the Town & Country Market. Chrysa Robertson from Rancho Pinot had samples of McClendon's Select produce with her Red Wine Vinegar Honey Dressing. These samples were a huge hit and went fast. Lucky for those of us who missed out (like yours truly) she shared the recipe too! Give this a try...

Rancho Pinot's Red Wine Vinegar Honey Dressing

1 Tbsp. McClendon's Select Honey

1 small Shallot, minced

2-3 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar

1 Tsp. Rosemary, freshly chopped

6 oz. Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Whisk the first four ingredients together, slowly whisk in the oil. Adjust seasonings to taste.

The salad Chryssa served with this dressing included arugula, sliced strawberries, toasted pecans, and crumbled feta cheese.

And, should you need some advice or inspiration while at the markets, we now have a resident chef there to help out. Chef Frank Zucchini will be on hand at the Town & Country Farmer's Market on Wednesdays and the Old Town Scottsdale Market on Saturdays. With a name like that, I think he is exactly the person to go to for a little cooking expertise, don't you?

Homemade remedy...

Okay, given my post about the Parmesan Truffle Fries at Zinc Bistro, I thought I would share what I have been working on at home to help satisfy those cravings. This isn’t close to those sinful fries they serve, but it has helped me cope. Plus, I used purple potatoes, because who doesn't smile at a purple potato?

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

All you need is to slice them very thin, toss in a little olive oil and sea salt. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and a little oil and spread out the potatoes. Bake at 400-degrees for 20 minutes or until a little crispy. Toss with truffle oil and shredded parmesan cheese.

I am officially in love with truffle oil. So, so good! And these little guys are perfect with a side of Lemon Aioli.

Lemon Aioli

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1 lemon, zested

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

New recipe...

So I tried something new, in an attempt to combine two recipes, I hit on a winner.

Kale/Spigarello Chips

One handful Tuscan Kale

One handful Spigarello

Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Honey

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.

Rinse the Tuscan Kale and Spigarello and dry thoroughly. Chop up both into bite size pieces. Toss with olive oil and sea salt and spread over a foil covered cookie sheet.

Bake the Kale and Spiagrello for 12-14 minutes until the leaves are crispy, browned at the edges, but not blackened.

Sprinkle a little honey over the top while still warm.

Sean loved them so much he called his mother and told her about them.

Good sign!

When you have lemons, make pasta...

I have a new rainy day activity for Aidan and me. During recent storms, we spent an afternoon making homemade pasta, something I haven’t done in far too long and I have missed way too much. I credit Wade Moises at Pasta Bar for inspiring me to elevate my pasta efforts. There is just no comparison between store bought and handmade, and after a recent trip to Pasta Bar I have been joyfully ruined.

With the right equipment, handmade pasta is a relatively easy endeavor. The KitchenAid pasta rollers work well, but their food grinder attachment with smaller plates I think work the best for making thin spaghetti noodles. That, and it felt like a Play Dough maker to my seven-year-old sous chef.

Handmade pasta doesn’t need much to be wonderful, but I will say be very mindful of time. It will cook better and clump less if you make allowances to have it properly dry after you have rolled it, and then to allow it only minimal time in the boiling water. This isn’t the hard stuff that comes in a box, it only takes a minute or two to reach a proper al dente consistency.

This pasta also doesn’t need to be dressed up to fancy either. Simple is better. I usually do a pesto or simple tomato sauce when I make pasta, but this time I took advantage of all of the wonderful lemons we have available and made Aunt Pat’s Spaghetti al Lemone recipe to serve with it.

It was a little sunshine on an otherwise gray day. Enjoy!

Pasta Dough

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour

2 eggs

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1-4 tablespoons water (less is better)

Place flour, eggs, olive oil and salt in a food processor. Process for 15 seconds, adding water a few drops at a time until a ball starts to form. Once the ball forms, run the machine for another 30-45 seconds.

Remove the dough and wrap in plastic and allow to sit for 15-20 minutes. If you are using a KitchenAid mixer, cut pasta into small sections and push through the grinder, using the plate with the smaller holes for spaghetti. You can also use this pasta recipe with other pasta rollers for thicker noodles.

Cut the pasta at the desired length and allow to dry, either on a drying rack or spread out on parchment paper. The longer you allow the pasta to dry, the less like it will be to clump when you cook it. I would suggest you allow it to dry for at least an hour.

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for no more than 2-3 minutes. Check the pasta as it cooks, it will cook very fast.

Spaghetti al Limone

1 1/2 freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup lemon juice

2/3 cups extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 cups firmly packed basil leaves

Combine the Parmesan and lemon juice. Combine the rest of the ingredients, except for the basil, mixing to "melt" the cheese in the oil. Toss sauce with pasta, top with basil leaves and serve.

Perfect roasted carrots...

My roasted carrots have never been as good as Marsha's. They are good, but they just weren't there. I finally asked her out of frustration how she gets her carrots that perfect combination of caramelized crunch on the outside and buttery softness inside.

Here's the secret... she steams them first!!

Now you know too. Just steam the carrots for 3-4 minutes, then toss with a little olive oil and sea salt and roast for at 350-degrees for 20-30 minutes, depending on how dark you want them.

It will work - I promise!

New Year's Pop!

To paraphrase a dear friend, "Santa came and went, the ball dropped in Times Square, and the holidays are now officially over. Sigh!"

I feel the same way.

I truly love all of the gifts of family, friends, and food that come during the month of December, but now I am readying myself for a new year. I spent the weekend putting away the rest of my holiday decorations and finding room for all of Aidan's new treasures. Two days of picking up, boxing up and cleaning up made me yearn for one last seasonal treat.

This is a recipe from Julia Child for Popovers. I didn't make these little beauties for Christmas Eve, opting for a Yorkshire Pudding instead, although these may make the menu next time. I am sure they will go wonderfully with Prime Rib, but I found that they were perfect on their own with just a little honey.

They ended up being just the pick-me-up I needed to get through that post-holiday slump and excited for the start of 2010!

Julia's Perfect Popovers

Makes a dozen

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole milk

1/2 tsp salt

3 large eggs

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425-degrees, with rack on the lowest rung. Lightly butter or oil popover or muffin pans.

Allow of the eggs and milk to sit out to reach room temperature.

Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Fill each muffin cup with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake for 25 minutes until popovers are nicely browned. Turn temperature down to 350 and bake for another 15 minutes.

The popovers will be a little doughy in the center, which is ideal. Serve immediately. You may also freeze these in an air tight container and then reheat at 350-degrees for 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Cool beans...

We recently started carrying Rice Beans. This cute little beans look like large grains of rice and have an incredible flavor. Marsha prepared some for me to try the other night and they were wonderful. When I asked her how to prepare them, her reply was "Oh, you know, just like you make beans."

Umm... okay.

I did get a little detail from her, including that rice beans do cook faster than other types, which was good to know. The result is definitely worth it.

Rice Beans

3 cups of rice beans

Water

Chicken Stock

1 or 2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1 ham hock

1/2 tsp. of salt

1/2 tsp. of cayenne pepper

Cover the rice beans with 1/2 water and 1/2 chicken stock, enough to cover the beans with 2" to 3" of liquid. Add the garlic, onion, ham hock and seasonings. Simmer in a crock pot or on the stovetop for one hour.

These beans would be really good with chopped kale, chard or spinach. Just a thought!

Soup! You know why...

I was going to name this post Unpleasant Dental Surgery - Part Two, but decided no one would want to try a recipe with that title. I know I wouldn't. That said, I am currently suffering through the aftermath of another less-than-fun trip to the dentist. For the time being I am off most foods (and wine), so you can imagine how fun it is to write about restaurants and recipes.

Lucky for me, I do have a wonderful recipe for Butternut Squash Soup, that I will be enjoying quite a bit this week. I hope that you enjoy it as well, even if you can eat solid foods.

This recipe is REALLY good with chunks of green apples included right before serving. Maybe next week...

Butternut Squash Soup

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion

1 medium carrot

1 medium sweet potato

2 medium butternut squash

32 ounces chicken stock

salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste

Peel and cut the butternut squash into cubes. Chop the onion, carrot and sweet potato. Melt the butter in a large pot and add all of the vegetables for 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the chicken stock and seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover for 40 minutes.

Pour soup into a blender and puree until smooth. You may add milk or any remaining chicken stock for desired consistency.

Nutty for the holidays...

Years ago Marsha made this dish to help celebrate in the New Year. I loved it so much, I could have eaten it all year long. As we are getting closer to the holidays, I found myself thinking about it again. So much so that we had it for dinner. I love holiday memories, especially the ones with food.

Butternut Squash Mash

2 medium Butternut Squashes

Olive Oil

Sea Salt

1 cup of baby arugula

1/4 cup of blue cheese crumbles

1/3 cup of pine nuts

Cut the Butternut Squash into quarters and lightly coat with olive oil and a little sea salt. Bake the squash at 400-degrees for 45 minutes, or until soft.

Toast the pine nuts with olive oil until browned.

Remove the skin from the butternut squash and mash. Mix in the pine nuts and blue cheese. Top with the baby arugula right before serving.

Enjoy!

Five-minute recipe...

Aidan and I enjoyed watching The Next Food Network Star over the summer. I love seeing what they prepare and he loves anything that is a competition. One of the winning recipes was a five-minute potatoes gratin from the show's winner Melissa d'Arabian that was promised to be easy enough to have your kids help you make it. She was right. And it really does only take five minutes to prepare. This recipe is now in the heavy rotation at our house.

I did substitute the two Russet potatoes originally listed in the recipe for fingerlings. Also, I used a Mandolin on the potatoes, it seems to cook better the more thinly sliced the potatoes.

Potatoes Gratin

Olive Oil

6-8 good sized fingerling potatos

1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese

2 green onions, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Use a muffin tin and coat well with olive oil. Layer potato slices, cheese, and onions into each muffin cup. Season with salt and pepper and top each gratin with 1 or 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Cover with foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, removing the foil halfway through cooking time.

Invert gratins onto plate and serve.

What to do with a Persimmon...

Persimmons have come to the farmer’s market, much to the curiosity and bewilderment of many. Truthfully, I didn’t really know what to do with them either until I asked my mother-in-law. When in doubt, I ask Marsha.

There are two types of persimmons: Hachiya and Fuyu. Here is a little of the low-down…

Fuyu Persimmons are rounder and flat-bottomed. They are sweeter and keep their flavor while they are firm. The color indicates ripeness, so once a Fuyu reaches a shiny bright orange they are ready to eat. They should feel solid, like an apple. The easiest way to eat a Fuyu is to cut of the skin, which can be quite thick, and slice. Fuyus make for a nice addition to a salad with a little Goat cheese. They are also wonderful to eat plain with a little fresh lime juice.

Hachiya Persimmons have a pointed tip, similar to the shape of a Roma tomato. Hachiyas are too astringent to eat until they are soft and ripe. Their ripeness is indicated when the skin becomes almost translucent and they are a little squishy to the touch. Hachiyas are better for cooking, although their sweet pulp may sometimes become bitter. This can be neutralized with a little baking soda.

Persimmons make for wonderful preserves or jams. Here is another idea on what to do with a Persimmon, so now you can’t say you that you don’t know.

Glazed Persimmon Wedges

This recipe is a nice topping for pork or ham.

4-5 small Fuyu-type Persimmons (or 2-2 ½ larger Fuyus)

¼ cup butter

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cumin

¼ curry powder

3 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp raisins

Cut off the stem and peel the persimmon. Slice fruit into ½-inch wedges and discard any seeds.




Combine butter and spices in a pan and cook uncovered over medium heat until mixture foams. Stir in persimmons and lime juice. Heat until sizzling then reduce heat to low. Cook the fruit for about five minutes, turning occasionally until they are lightly glazed.

Serve warm with the raisins.

Hello Brussels...

So happy to have Brussels Sprouts again!

There are a lot of great ways to serve Brussels Sprouts, but roasting them with a little olive oil and sea salt can't be beat. Just wash, cut off the stem and discard the outer leaves. Slice and then lightly sprinkle with olive oil and sea salt in a casserole dish and roast at 375-degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Brussels Sprouts have a good amount of Vitamins A & C, as well as folic acid and fiber.

Even better... Aidan can't get enough of them when they are prepared like this. I know steaming is usually the healthiest option when preparing vegetables, but I who am I to argue with a seven-year-old who is willing to eat Brussels Sprouts without a fight.

Eureka!

I have a compulsion that, on occasion, drives me to madness trying to replicate dishes I have loved. At times it isn’t pretty. Who knows the hours I have spent trying to decipher Pizzeria Bianco’s pizzas. Trust me, it can’t be done.

That said, I am recently fell down another recipe rabbit hole, but this time came up a winner. It was a much easier dish, but the stomach wants what the stomach wants.

This recipe is an adaption of an adaption, mostly because I didn’t have aged White Cheddar or Gruyere. I give credit to Ina Gartner for the original recipe. That said, I think this works just as well with Sharp Cheddar.

Cauliflower Gratin

1 (3-pound) head cauliflower, cut into large florets

Kosher salt

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups hot milk

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

3/4 cup freshly grated Sharp cheddar

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/2 cup of Panko bread crumbs (fresh bread crumbs will work too)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook the cauliflower florets in a large pot of boiling salted water for 5 to 6 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture and stir until it comes to a boil. Boil, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, or until thickened. Off the heat, add 1 teaspoon of salt, the pepper, nutmeg, ½ of the Cheddar, and the ½ cup of Parmesan.

Pour 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of an 8 by 11 by 2-inch baking dish. Place the drained cauliflower on top and then spread the rest of the sauce evenly on top. Combine the bread crumbs with the remaining 1/4 cup of Cheddar and sprinkle on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over the gratin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

You say Macaron, I say Macaroon...

I have told you about the incredible Parisian Macarons that Eugenia Theodosopoulos makes at the Essence Bakery Cafe in Tempe. I probably will again and again, they are THAT good! Recently she was kind enough to invite all of the McClendons over for dinner at her house. We had a wonderful evening with her and her charming husband Gilles hearing about their life in France and their experiences owning the restaurant and their former life in catering. She served an incredible dinner and introduced foie gras and rabbit to Aidan. We may now be in trouble, because he loved both.

I wanted to bring something to dinner, so I made my own macaroons. They are the coconut version, and while they pale in comparison to the old world elegance of her Macarons, they are still rich and decadent in their own way.

Chocolate-dipped Macaroons

3 egg whites (medium eggs or 2 large eggs)

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups finely shredded coconut

Bittersweet dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Mix egg whites and salt with electric mixer until stiff. Fold in sugar and vanilla, then stir in coconut. Scoop on to a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes. Melt chocolate over low heat. Drizzle tops with melted chocolate. Let cool for another 30 minutes.

This recipe is pretty easy, but then again, so is ordering Eugenia's Macarons online. Visit www.essencemacaron.com to order some for yourself or for a friend. (Or for a favorite blogger... should you know one who likes them!)

Avocado Soup

I recently had a rather unpleasant dental surgery. I will spare you the details other than to say that it has severely impacted what I am able (and wanting) to eat. The one thing that has made this ordeal a little more pleasant is that Marsha made me her wonderful Avocado Soup. It is served cold, which I need, and so good that it made me almost not mind that I get to go through this whole thing again in November.

Almost.

I do love it though, even when I am feeling up to eating hearty fare. It is a great recipe for entertaining with friends. Plus it is always nice to have something chilled to serve as we wait out the remaining summer heat. Enjoy in good health!

Avocado Soup

3 ripe avocados

1 can of fat-free chicken broth

1/2 cup low-fat sour cream

1/2 cup milk

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

Couple sprinkles of hot sauce

Garlic salt and pepper to taste

Blend ingredients smooth and refrigerate for two hours before serving. It will have a thick consistency, use more milk if you would like it a little thinner. Serve chilled with some fresh chopped cilantro or crumbled feta cheese on top.

Family favorite...

On special occasions, mainly when I am too tired to cook, we will have pancakes for dinner. Not just any old pancakes... puffy pancakes! This recipe is incredibly easy, which makes it one of my favorites, and it's pretty tasty which makes it one of Sean and Aidan's favorites. Aidan loves that the pancakes rise up like a bowl in the oven. We usually cut up fresh fruit and sprinkle a little confectioner's sugar or honey over the top, but truthfully you could serve these with just about anything. I have even heard that some people eat them for breakfast.

Puffy Pancakes

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

4 eggs

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 stick of butter

Mix milk, flour, eggs, sugar and salt together and let sit for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Melt the 1/2 stick of butter and divide between two pie pans. Coat the sides and bottom of the pie pans well before pouring in the batter. Let cook for 12-15 minutes, or until pancakes rise.

Marsha's Shrimp Gazpacho...

I love walking into Marsha's kitchen, because when I do she hands me something wonderful - a slice from one of the first ripe Early Girl tomatoes, bruschetta with an olive tapenade, a squash blossom stuffed with artichokes and parmesan, or sometimes just a glass of wine. Whatever she has waiting, it is always exactly what I was wanting. She has a knack for knowing what I am craving before I can even put a name to it.

Last night when I came into her kitchen, probably at breakneck speed chasing Aidan, she had bowls of chilled shrimp gazpacho waiting. It was filled with all of the flavors of the garden - zucchini, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, onions, and topped with shrimp. It was cool and flavorful and so refreshing after a hot summer day. As always, it was the perfect thing I didn't know I wanted. But she did.

Here is her recipe so you can make it yourself and surprise someone else who didn't know they needed Shrimp Gazpacho either, but will be so grateful that you knew.

Marsha's Shrimp Gazpacho

(Makes 4 servings)

1/2 small white or red onion

2-3 medium tomatoes

1 small cucumber

1/2 red or yellow bell pepper

1 small yellow or green zucchini

1 large stock of celery

1 large carrot

Handful finely chopped cilantro

Juice squeezed from 2 limes

5 drops of hot sauce

1/2 avocado (cubed)

1 dozen small cooked frozen shrimp

Chop all of the vegetables into small cubes. Mix together in a big bowl, adding the lime juice and hot sauce and half of the cilantro. Let refrigerate a few hours before serving to allow the flavors to meld. Add the shrimp, avocado and the rest of the cilantro right before serving. You can leave the shrimp frozen when you add to the gazpacho, to keep the rest of the soup very cold.

Optional:

If you have a fresh corn, you can add a handful of cut kernels too. Also, to spice it up a little more, add a few tablespoons of canned green chiles. Jicama is good too!

Zucchini with a side of squash?

Okay... so last night might have been a little bit of overkill, but with the bounty of summer squash right now I couldn't help myself. They come in such pretty colors and I love all the ways you can make them. Sean and I made these wonderful zucchini cakes, but then with a with a colander of green and yellow summer squashes still sitting there, we decided to go ahead and saute those as well. There can't be too much of a good thing, right?

Aidan helped too, but mostly by picking off the pine nuts as I was putting them on the bruschetta. He is very helpful like that.

Zucchini Parmesan Cakes

Makes about 12-14 patties

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

2 cups grated Zucchini

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/3 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup flour

1 egg, beaten

Dashes of cayenne pepper, sea salt and pepper

Heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl. Spoon a golf-ball sized amount of the mixture into the pan once hot. Gently flatten the balls into a 2-inch patty. Turn heat down to medium and let the patties brown on each side for 3-4 minutes. Flip patties over and brown on the other side for another 3-4 minutes.

Remove patties after thoroughly browned and set on a paper towel to remove excess oil.

We ate these last night with a sprinkling of O&Co's Premium Balsamic Vinegar. You know they were good if I was willing to break into my stash of expensive vinegars!!

Grilled Summer Peaches...

It may be hotter than a furnace, but one of the rewards of the summer is stone fruit. I love all of it - cherries, nectarines, plums, and peaches. Last night while we were fixing dinner to throw on the grill, I decided to add some peaches as well. Had I planned better I would have had some vanilla ice cream to serve with them, although we enjoyed them just the same. They turned out perfectly. I could do this every day. Well, not the 110-degrees, but the peaches definitely!

Grilled Summer Peaches

4 ripe peaches

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits. Mix the cinnamon, vanilla extract and brown sugar in a bowl. Coat the cut side of the peaches in vegetable oil and then place cut side down on the grill for 1-2 minutes until there are nice grill marks. Coat the sides of the peaches in vegetable oil and place back on the grill for 3-4 minutes. Spoon the brown sugar mixture over the top of the peaches and close the grill. Remove the peaches when the sugar has melted.

Grilled Lemon Chicken with Flatbread and Pesto

When Aidan was a toddler he would refuse to eat anything with “stuff” on it. “Stuff” usually referred to chopped basil on the top of pizzas or pasta dishes. Sean and I became expert at either hiding evidence of basil or preparing his food without it. It was a shame, since I love to use basil in everything.

He still scrunches his nose from time to time at the site of tiny bits of basil, although he has learned not to ask that it be removed anymore. Unbeknownst to him, Aidan’s new favorite meal doesn’t just contain chopped basil – it mostly IS chopped basil. Bob grows the most amazing Italian Large Leaf Basil. The leaves are as large as a dollar and their fragrance will fill up your kitchen. It has been my mission to introduce this wonderful ingredient to my little boy and I have finally found success. This is one of our summer favorites.

GRILLED LEMON CHICKEN

1 package of chicken breasts

1/2 lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup chopped basil

Dash of salt and ground black pepper

Use the juice from the half lemon and combine with other ingredients to marinate the chicken for ten minutes. Grill over medium-high heat.

PESTO

1 cup fresh basil leaves

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup toasted pine nuts

½ cup olive oil

¼ teaspoon salt

Dash of ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend. For those who like garlic, a tablespoon of minced garlic added before blending is also good.

This also freezes nicely. To freeze the pesto, cut the amount of olive oil by half. Spoon into a ziplock baggie and squeeze the air out. Lay it flat in your freezer. When you are ready to use it, let it thaw at room temperature and then put it in a pan at low heat for a few minutes and add the remaining amount of olive oil.

GRILLED FLATBREAD

It you have the time, there is a wonderful recipe for Mario Batali’s flatbread on the blog Goop.com. It takes only minutes to prepare, but needs about an hour and a half to rise.

Nothing beats homemade, but in a pinch, I also like to use Trader’s Joe’s whole wheat pizza dough. I let it rise briefly while covered in olive oil and then break off golf-ball sized chunks and roll out in flour. One package of pizza dough can make about eight palm-sized flatbreads. We then throw it on the grill on medium-high heat and coat with Olive Oil again. Cook thoroughly until slightly charred on each side.

P.S. This combination makes for a killer sandwich for the next day’s lunch as well!!