Rustic Tomato and Feta Galette

So I bought these fantastic farm tomatoes the other day and envisioned them in a nice home made rustic galette.. possibly with some pesto sauce as the base.  However yesterday I realized I didn't have any store bought pesto at home and didn't really feel like making from scratch so I figured I'd use some olive tapenade instead, but didn't have any of that either.. You see a pattern here? :) I didn't feel like making another trip to the market nor did I have the time, and this folks is how new recipes are born and usually the best ones, as is in this case.  Luckily I did have some Greek olives at home and chopped those up, added some olive oil and dried oregano and kinda had my own version of a tapenade.  You guys can use pesto or tapenade if you so choose.
As for the dough, I've been using the same Pate Brisee recipe for years now, both for my sweet and savory pies, it's really flaky and light, but I suppose you can also substitute with ready made pie shells as well..

Here's the Pate Brisee recipe:
For the flakiest crust, make sure all ingredients (including the flour) are cold before you begin. The dough will need to be refrigerated for at least 1 hour or overnight.  You can also freeze it for about a month and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup ice water, plus more if needed

In the bowl of the food processor, combine the flour and salt, pulse just to combine.  Add the butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 seconds..
With the machine running add water through the tube in a slow stream, just until the dough holds together without being wet or sticky, DO NOT process more than 30 seconds.  If more water is needed add 1 Tbsp at a time.
Turn the dough onto clean surface, divide in half and place each one on a piece of plastic wrap.  Shape into flattened disks, wrap and refrigerate.
** This process can also be done with a mixer and whisk attachment.

Now for the galette ingredients:

2 large tomatoes sliced
1/2 cup of olive tapenade (or pesto)
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup crumpled feta cheese
salt to taste 
Basil chiffonade, optional garnish (thinly sliced basil)

Heat oven 375*F
Using one of the dough discs (after chilling for at least an hour)
Roll dough out on floured surface into a 9x12 rectangle (or a big circle will work too)
Transfer rolled dough onto a sheet pan with parchment paper on the bottom or sprinkled with some flour.
Spread tapenade or pesto evenly on the dough leaving about a 2 inch border all the way around.
Line the sliced tomatoes on top, season with salt, sprinkle with feta cheese and the oregano.
Gently fold the edges in, overlapping and crimping.
Use either heavy cream or an egg lightly beaten to brush the outside of crust.
Bake for 35-45 min, or till the tomatoes and feta have browned just a bit and the crust is golden brown.
Remove to a cooling rack. Cool for about 10 min.
Top with sliced basil and enjoy!

We had ours with a nice cold glass of Sangria... was a perfect light summer dinner.


keep it simple and mangia..!

Simple Carrot and Tarragon Salad

This may seem like too simple of a salad to be blogging about... but it's so fresh and tasty that I just had to share.  I was making carrot cake earlier today and got left with some shredded carrots so I decided to make a quick salad for myself..

Here are the ingredients:

2 med carrots, peeled and grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
zest of a lemon
a handful of tarragon leaves chopped

Dressing:

2 Tbsp grape seed oil
1-2 tsp rice vinegar
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp ginger powder
salt to taste 

Whisk the dressing and pour over carrot mixture, enjoy!
*NOTE OF CAUTION: contains fresh garlic, not recommended on date night ;)

Cinnamon and Clove Pancakes with Almond Milk (Dairy Free)

These pancakes turned out very tasty and moist, and for those who love that cinnamon and clove flavor combo, this will hit the spot for sure.  This is a basic pancake recipe I've used for years, I just decided to substitute Almond milk for regular milk and add the flavors. Give it a try next time, hope you guys like it.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp double-acting baking powder 

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 tsp clove powder

* Mix all these together in a small bowl

1 egg slightly beaten

1 1/3 cup Almond milk (unflavored)

1 tsp vanilla 

3Tbsp of oil (mild flavored, not olive oil)

*Whisk these ingredients together in a large bowl

*Add the dry ingredients and mix well.

*Heat skillet, I use cooking spray instead of butter or oil to make the pancakes

*Using a 1/4 measuring cup drop batter onto hot skillet

*Flip when bubbles appear on top

*Make as many pancakes as you need, 

the rest of the batter can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

*Meanwhile in a small skillet dry roast chopped pecans for the topping

*Warm up your syrup and enjoy!

You can also thin out the batter with some warm water or more Almond milk till it's a little more runny

and make crapes with the remaining batter.

These are frozen berries I warmed up in a skillet with some honey to top the crapes with

Or just dust with powdered sugar for a more simple flavoring.

Keep it simple and Mangia..!

Beet and Grapefruit Salad with Pecans

So I was cleaning out my refrigerator and found a couple of beets hiding in the veggie drawer... must use I thought to myself.  But I was getting hungry and didn't have too much time for putting them in the oven wrapped in foil, which is what I usually do for salads.. In stead I peeled and boiled them and this salad came together as a result of my fridge cleaning day.  Here's what else I threw in there that made it a very tasty salad, try it!

Ingredients:
2 med sized beets peeled and boiled till fork tender (about 20 min)
half a grapefruit, just wedges removed from skin and membrane
some chopped fresh dill, a couple of Tbsp worth
1 garlic clove, crushed
about 2 oz of feta cheese cubed
a handful of pecan halves toasted
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 Tbsp of  Grapeseed oil
1 Tbsp of Rice Vinegar

1. Slice beets after they cool, place in large bowl
2. Holding the grapefruit half over the bowl cut out the wedges letting all the juices run into the bowl (adds more flavor this way)
3. Add dill, garlic, salt, pepper, oil and vinegar, and toss well
4. Lastly add pecans and feta cheese toss lightly and enjoy

Hope you guys enjoy this light and tangy salad as much as I did.

Keep it light and Mangia...

The New Tuna Salad

This was so quick to make and so full of color, flavor, texture and crunch.
Here's the ingredient list:

1. 1 each red, green and yellow bell peppers cubed
2. 1/2 onion chopped
3. 2-3 cloves of garlic crushed
4. 3-4 peperoncini sliced
5. 2-6oz can of solid white tuna in water
6. and a hand-full of parsley chopped, if I had fresh tarragon at home I'd use that too, would taste great with tuna.

For the dressing, in a small bowl whisk together:

1.  1/2 tsp whole grain dijon mustard with seeds
2. 1 tsp rice vinegar
3. 3Tbsp grape-seed oil or olive oil, whichever you prefer. 

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, pour dressing over it, season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

 

 keep it simple and mangia..

Potato and Spinach Country Eggs with Jalapenos

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe, so busy with so many projects... :)
But as you can tell I couldn't pass on this one.  This is perfect for Sunday morning, we all have a little more time on Sundays and can actually enjoy this sitting down and not running out the door to work.
Hope you guys enjoy it as much as we did. (This is one of those improvised  recipes...)

Ingredients:
1 onion chopped
2 med potatoes diced (small so they cook faster and at the same time as the other ingredients)
2 jalapenos sliced (I leave the seeds in one of them so it's not too spicy, but you can remove all if so desired)
2 hand-fulls of baby spinach
a hand-full of parsley chopped
5-6 scallions sliced
6 eggs

1. Saute onions, potatoes and jalapenos in a Tbs of butter and a Tbs of oil till potatoes are fork tender and the onions opaque.  Season as you go with salt and pepper
2. Add spinach, parsley and scallions, cook for another 5-10 min on med-high heat, mixing every now and then.
3. Lower heat a bit, break the eggs on top of the potato mixture, cover and cook until the whites are well cooked but the yolk is still runny about 5-7 min.

           *Note: I leave the eggs whole instead of beating it with little milk like usual omelets, this gives it a more rustic, country look and dipping your toast in the yolk is one of those little pleasures in life most people enjoy.  Now if you have cholesterol problems or don't want the yolk then you can do egg whites only -- substitute 8 egg whites for the 6 eggs.

            *If you want to add another layer of flavor, sprinkle some feta cheese on top at the end.

And that's it! Simple, fast and very satisfying..

Enjoy! 

Red Lentil Soup with Okra

This soup recipe is from my friend's kitchen, and I loved it... tweaked and added a couple of things.. as I always do :)  It's easy, quick and really tasty.

Red Lentil Soup with Okra

Ingredients are:

2 cups red lentils (give it a quick rinse and drain)

1/2 cup #4 size Bulgor (cracked wheat)

1 celery stick sliced

1 large yellow onion chopped 

1 14 oz bag of frozen baby okra (this is what I added to the recipe... loved it but if you don't like okra leave it out)

2-3 Jalapeno peppers washed (this is another item I added, if you just throw them in the soup whole it wont make your soup spicy but if you have spicy eaters at home like I do, they'll love you for it :)

1Tbsp turmeric

1tsp cumin

1/4 -1/2 tsp chilli powder

2Tbsp Olive oil

about a 1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro

and a pinch of Saffron (I didn't have any on hand so I didn't use it this time, but it should add some great flavor)

In a soup pot filled with water about 3/4 of the way, add the lentils, bulgor, okra, celery and the spices, bring to boil, then let cook till lentil is all mushy and soft, mixing occasionally and adjusting the salt and pepper.

In the meantime in a sauce pan saute the onion in the oil, till nice and brown almost caramelized, add the cilantro and remove from the heat.

When soup is done cooking which should take about 30 min, add the onion mix and that's it, done!

We add Sriracha or other hot sauce to all our meals, and it went quite well with this one too...

*If the soup turns out a little too thick for your taste just add some more water, but don't forget to adjust your seasoning after. 

Mangia and keep it simple..