Sunday, June 19, 2011

Grilled Vegetable Salad with Greens, Tomatoes, Herbs, Olives and Cheese

Pre-Story:
My South Mountain Veggies delivery included beets and I have never cooked a beet in my life. We had friends coming over so I found this recipe interesting. See final notes to see the changes I made when I made it for my Father’s Day Brunch.

SOURCE/ADAPTED FROM: www.epicurious.com - Grilled Vegetable Salad with Greens, Tomatoes, Herbs, Olives and Cheese, Bon Appetit, August 1996

ACTIVE TIME: 30 min-ish TOTAL TIME: 40-50ish min

INGREDIENTS:
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 large red onion, cut into 3/4-inch-thick rounds
• 12 baby beets, stems trimmed to 1 inch, peeled, halved lengthwise – didn’t peel them and they tasted fine
• 3 small zucchini, each cut lengthwise into 4 slices
• 2 Japanese Eggplants – I don’t know if baby eggplants are the same thing, but that’s what I used.
• 2 large red bell peppers, cut into 2-inch-wide strips
• 6 slices country-style-French bread
• Additional olive oil
• 10 cups mixed baby greens
• 4 large tomatoes, sliced
• 3 Tbs chopped fresh basil
• 2 Tbs chopped fresh chives or green onions - used chives from my herb garden
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh majoram – - used thyme from my herb garden
• 3/4 cup chilled fresh mild goat cheese (such as Montrachet), crumbled (about 3 ounces)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 2 ounces) - used but it didn't add anything really
• 3/4 cup brine-cured black olives (such as Kalamanta) - chopped

INSTRUCTIONS:
Prepare barbeque (medium-high heat). Whisk 3/4 cup oil and vinegar in medium bowl to blend (I added some of the fresh herbs to the oil/vinegar mixture).

Place onion, beets, zucchini, eggplants, and red bell pepper on baking sheet. Brush both sides with some of vinaigrette. Sprinkle vegetables with salt and pepper.

Grill vegetables until just cooked through, about 10 minutes per side for beets, 6 minutes per side for onion and 4 minutes per side for zucchini, eggplant, and peppers. (Vegetables can be grilled 1 hour ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) I grilled each vegetable separately since the timing varied. I also cooked them on a grill pan for easier flipping. Once cooked, I cut them into bite size chunks.

Brush bread with additional olive oil; sprinkle with pepper (you guessed it, no pepper - YUCK! In the future I'd rub the bread with a garlic clove but one of our guests hates garlic (freak!)). Grill bread until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes per side.

Arrange greens on large platter. Overlap tomatoes atop greens in center of platter. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt and pepper. Arrange grilled vegetables atop greens around edge of platter. Drizzle remaining vinaigrette over tomatoes and grilled vegetables. Sprinkle tomatoes and vegetables with herbs. Sprinkle tomatoes with goat cheese. Sprinkle Romano cheese over all. Garnish with olives. Serve with bread.

SERVES / NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
Serves: 6 very large servings

RATING/DIFFICULTY:
Taste Rating: Four Fat Running Chefs
Difficulty Rating: Just Tri

SERVED WITH:
Dude’s Incredible Ribs and Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

FINAL NOTES: This was so good the first time, I made it as part of my Father’s Day Brunch. Because we were having so much other food I cut the veggies down to just zucchini, red onion, and red bell pepper and still served over greens with tomatoes, goat cheese, olives and fresh herbs. I did not serve it with bread this time, only because I forgot to make it.

This is an incredibly versatile recipe and mighty tasty! It also makes a lovely presentation! I gave the difficulty rating just based on the time required to grill the veggies.

Chard and Salami Frittata

Pre-Story: We now get fresh vegetable delivered from South Mountain Veggies. I like it because it makes me try new things. This weeks “new item” was Swiss Chard. Since I was making brunch for Father’s Day, this recipe caught my eye.

SOURCE/ADAPTED FROM: www.epicurious.com - Chard and Salami Frittata, Bon Appetit, August 2007, Molly Stevens

ACTIVE TIME: 20 min-ish TOTAL TIME: 30 min

INGREDIENTS:
• 6 large eggs – used 8
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, divided - used a Parmasan/Pecorino/Romano mix
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch Swiss chard (about 10 ounces), stems and center ribs cut away, leaves coarsely chopped
• 2 ounces thinly sliced Italian Genoa salami - used thinly sliced Prosciutto instead, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2/3 cup)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
Added 1/2 C sliced Mushrooms

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat broiler. Whisk all the eggs, 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in large bowl. I eyeballed the cheese and only added 3 twists of the pepper grinder.

Heat olive oil in medium nonstick broilerproof skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender but not brown, about 6 minutes. Add Swiss chard in 3 batches; toss until each begins to wilt before adding next. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add sliced mushrooms. Sauté until any liquid in skillet evaporates. Increase heat to medium-high; add prosciutto and garlic to skillet and stir 1 minute. Add eggs to skillet; stir to distribute evenly. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until eggs are almost set but still moist in center, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese over top.

Transfer frittata to broiler and cook just until set in center and beginning to brown, about 1 minute (actually took about 3 minutes). Using flexible spatula, loosen frittata around edges. Slide frittata out onto platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.

SERVES / NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
Serves: 6-8 as appetizer, 4 as main course

RATING/DIFFICULTY:
Taste Rating: Three Fat Running Chefs
Difficulty Rating: Easy Peasy

SERVED WITH:
Pork Loin, Roasted Vegetable Salad with Greens, Tomatoes, Herbs, Olives and Goat Cheese.

FINAL NOTES:
I made this as part of a Father’s Day Brunch for Dude, his dad, sister, and brother-in-law. I thought it was good and could see making it for a quick dinner. I don’t see making this for guests unless it was a brunch then I’d probably still tweak some things, i.e. add spices, more vegetables, etc. Definitely a tweakable recipe!

Roasted Cod on Large Garlic Croutons

SOURCE/ADAPTED FROM: epicurious.com - Roasted Cod on Large Garlic Croutons

ACTIVE TIME: 15 min TOTAL TIME: 20 min

INGREDIENTS:
• 1 pound plum tomatoes, cored, diced - used vine ripe tomatoes
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 5 anchovy fillets, minced - used about 4
• 3 large garlic cloves (2 minced, 1 halved)
• 4 7- to 8-ounce cod fillets or other white fish fillets (such as halibut; about 1 inch thick) – used 2 8 oz Halibut fillets
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 1/2-inch-thick slices country white bread – bought Multi-Grain foccachia
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves – bought it…forgot to put it in
--added 5 pitted Kalamata Olives – chopped
--added ½ tsp Capers -- chopped


INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 475°F. – Preheated grill instead of oven - it was a beautiful evening!Combine first 3 ingredients in large bowl. Add minced garlic and stir to blend. Add olives and capers. Season tomato mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Did not add salt since I used kalamata and capers – plenty of salt. Did not add pepper because I just don't like it.

Arrange fish on rimmed baking sheet. Brush both sides with 2 tablespoons oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until just opaque in center, about 8 minutes. Grilled on oiled pan for the same time it says to cook.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomato mixture. Cook until tomatoes soften and sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

Toast bread; rub 1 side with cut side of halved garlic. Top with tomato sauce, basil leaves (oops), fish, and more sauce.

SERVES / NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
Serves 4

RATING/DIFFICULTY:
Taste Rating: Five Fat Running Chefs
Difficulty Rating: Easy Peasy


SERVED WITH: White Wine

FINAL NOTES: This was so good, over a month later I still have the recipe in my wallet. It's simple and the taste is divine!