AUGUST 27 2011
THIRTY-EIGHT : CIPOLLINI ONION VINAIGRETTE
THIRTY-NINE : WATERCRESS WITH FRESH FIGS & GORGONZOLA
The "watercress salad with cipollini vinaigrette" saga started Saturday morning when I decided to make this salad for breakfast (it's true, I eat salad for breakfast). And I had visions of me, sitting in the early morning sun on the deck, munching on a lovely watercress salad, watching the pets frolic in the grass. Ahhhh....
I've been really looking forward to this salad, too. Figs + gorgonzola = awesome! And watercress is an ingredient I never buy so I was pretty curious about it. My dreams, however, were dashed by a bland oily dressing and strangely proportioned salad.
Maybe, I thought, I should try to make all the recipes in this cookbook. Yes!!
Friday
THIRTY-SEVEN : PROSCIUTTO & PECORINO SANDWICH
AUGUST 26 2011
For lunch today I made us the Proscuitto with Pecorino Sandwiches. This is a really, really simple sandwich. Bread, prosciutto and pecorino. That's it. It specifically states not to use mayo or mustard as "they just don't add to the experience". I knew it would be important to have super good ingredients so I stopped in at Pastaworks and got some $28.50/pound Italian prosciutto and fresh ciabatta bread.
Each sandwich gets a little less than 2 oz each of the meat and cheese so I weighed out each portion and assembled the sandwiches.
For lunch today I made us the Proscuitto with Pecorino Sandwiches. This is a really, really simple sandwich. Bread, prosciutto and pecorino. That's it. It specifically states not to use mayo or mustard as "they just don't add to the experience". I knew it would be important to have super good ingredients so I stopped in at Pastaworks and got some $28.50/pound Italian prosciutto and fresh ciabatta bread.
Each sandwich gets a little less than 2 oz each of the meat and cheese so I weighed out each portion and assembled the sandwiches.
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| a little less than 2 oz of each topping. 1-7/8 oz to be exact :) |
Tuesday
THIRTY-FIVE & THIRTY-SIX : TRUFFLED MUSHROOM CROSTINI
AUGUST 23 2011
THIRTY-FIVE : CREMINI MUSHROOMS
THIRTY-SIX : CREMINI MUSHROOM & TRUFFLE OIL CROSTINI
Truffle oil.... yummmm. The End.
Okay, okay, there is more to say about this delicious dish than just that. Basically, this crostini is to die for! Roasted mushrooms are diced and tossed with chopped parsley, lots of olive oil, salt, white pepper and a few teaspoons of luscious, intoxicating truffle oil.
This mix gets heaped onto *toasted* crostini slices (that are brushed with parsley pesto, of course) and it's ready to eat! And so good.
THIRTY-FIVE : CREMINI MUSHROOMS
THIRTY-SIX : CREMINI MUSHROOM & TRUFFLE OIL CROSTINI
Truffle oil.... yummmm. The End.
Okay, okay, there is more to say about this delicious dish than just that. Basically, this crostini is to die for! Roasted mushrooms are diced and tossed with chopped parsley, lots of olive oil, salt, white pepper and a few teaspoons of luscious, intoxicating truffle oil.
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| roasted cremini mushrooms |
This mix gets heaped onto *toasted* crostini slices (that are brushed with parsley pesto, of course) and it's ready to eat! And so good.
Saturday
THIRTY-FOUR : BACON, LETTUCE & TOMATO SANDWICH
AUGUST 20 2011
I had one ripe tomato from my garden and I knew exactly what I was going to do with it... BLT's!!! Following the advice of a friend very familiar with The Frankies, I baked a batch of no-knead bread for the sandwiches because "fresh bread is key!". My bread came out pretty dang good. Slightly flattened with a chewy crust and soft interior.
Next, I baked the bacon as directed. It was supposed to have "a little chew to it". But, after assembling the whole thing, I was a little grossed out by the "chew" to the bacon so threw it under the broiler for a few more minutes until it wasn't totally rubbery.
I had one ripe tomato from my garden and I knew exactly what I was going to do with it... BLT's!!! Following the advice of a friend very familiar with The Frankies, I baked a batch of no-knead bread for the sandwiches because "fresh bread is key!". My bread came out pretty dang good. Slightly flattened with a chewy crust and soft interior.
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| no-knead ciabatta with huge air bubble! |
Next, I baked the bacon as directed. It was supposed to have "a little chew to it". But, after assembling the whole thing, I was a little grossed out by the "chew" to the bacon so threw it under the broiler for a few more minutes until it wasn't totally rubbery.
Thursday
THIRTY-THREE : RED WINE PRUNES WITH MASCARPONE
AUGUST 18 2011
It turns out, stewed prunes aren't just for old ladies. Awesome restaurants serve them too! And oh man are they rich. I was planning to whip up this little dessert while camping last weekend. I bought red wine, a couple pounds of prunes and the mascarpone. But, totally forgot to bring sugar and a cinnamon stick from home. Dang! It was gonna be so perfect. A dozen hungry campers would devour the prunes in no time flat!
Instead, I made a batch a few days ago and it was all up to my dear hubby to eat them. I tried, really I did, but they were soooo rich that I could only eat one single prune before a sugar headache kicked in.
It turns out, stewed prunes aren't just for old ladies. Awesome restaurants serve them too! And oh man are they rich. I was planning to whip up this little dessert while camping last weekend. I bought red wine, a couple pounds of prunes and the mascarpone. But, totally forgot to bring sugar and a cinnamon stick from home. Dang! It was gonna be so perfect. A dozen hungry campers would devour the prunes in no time flat!
Instead, I made a batch a few days ago and it was all up to my dear hubby to eat them. I tried, really I did, but they were soooo rich that I could only eat one single prune before a sugar headache kicked in.
Wednesday
THIRTY-ONE & THIRTY-TWO : BEET SALAD
AUGUST 17 2011
THIRTY-ONE : BEETS
THIRTY-TWO : ROASTED BEET & AVOCADO SALAD
I want to like beets... I really, really do. But it hasn't happened yet. I thought my dislike might stem from their irritating habit of staining everything they come in contact with bright red, so decided to grow some sweet little candy-striped beets in my garden this year and give them another try. I saved up my entire harvest of the little guys and put them all into this salad. But, it turns out, I still don't really like beets... even my own beets.
The salad required me to incorporate the "Beets" recipe from the veggie section, which was simply roasting them with olive oil, salt and white pepper. At this point, they could be served as is or used for a couple of different salads.
THIRTY-ONE : BEETS
THIRTY-TWO : ROASTED BEET & AVOCADO SALAD
I want to like beets... I really, really do. But it hasn't happened yet. I thought my dislike might stem from their irritating habit of staining everything they come in contact with bright red, so decided to grow some sweet little candy-striped beets in my garden this year and give them another try. I saved up my entire harvest of the little guys and put them all into this salad. But, it turns out, I still don't really like beets... even my own beets.
The salad required me to incorporate the "Beets" recipe from the veggie section, which was simply roasting them with olive oil, salt and white pepper. At this point, they could be served as is or used for a couple of different salads.
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| baby beets ready for roasting |
Saturday
THIRTY : STRING BEANS
AUGUST 6 2011
First off, string beans are the same as green beans and they are delicious. This recipe is very simple and really highlights the flavor of the veggie. My only mistake here was shopping at Costco... so I ended up with a HUGE plate of green beans, way more than three people can eat. But, I will snack on them all day tomorrow, cold from the fridge (yum!).
There are basically three steps to this dish: (1) gently saute garlic in olive oil for about 8 minutes to flavor the oil, (2) blanch the green beans, (3) toss them all together! The recipe recommends eating the beans at room temp so it's a super good recipe to make ahead then just let sit on the counter and infuse with garlicky oil until dinnertime.
First off, string beans are the same as green beans and they are delicious. This recipe is very simple and really highlights the flavor of the veggie. My only mistake here was shopping at Costco... so I ended up with a HUGE plate of green beans, way more than three people can eat. But, I will snack on them all day tomorrow, cold from the fridge (yum!).
There are basically three steps to this dish: (1) gently saute garlic in olive oil for about 8 minutes to flavor the oil, (2) blanch the green beans, (3) toss them all together! The recipe recommends eating the beans at room temp so it's a super good recipe to make ahead then just let sit on the counter and infuse with garlicky oil until dinnertime.
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| gently simmer the garlic in olive oil |
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