Bruschetta

Do you ever see a food item on TV, in a movie or flipping through a magazine and it looks so good that you just HAVE to make it? I was watching Julie & Julia a few nights ago and the scene where Julie is making bruschetta instantly started my stomach rumbling. Aside from the luscious looking tomatoes, what really interested me was the way she was preparing the bread. Instead of toasting it in the oven, she was browning it in a pan with oil. I probably wouldn't have thought of that on my own, but wow, did it ever look amazing!

I headed to the kitchen to gather my ingredients and get down to business. Over the years, I have perfected my tomato and shallot bruschetta recipe, so I decided used that for the topping and just wing it with the bread. It's bread, so it can't be that hard, right? Lucky for me, I joined a CSA this year, which meant that I received massive quantities of amazing heirloom tomatoes. Tomatoes are my favorite summer food, hands down. Anything that brings out the bright acidic and fruity flavors of a perfectly ripe tomato is heaven to me. And really, is there any better use for tomatoes than a good bruschetta?

Here's the rundown:

• Flavor/Texture: A-MAZ-ING, if I do say so myself. The juicy sweetness of the tomato topping paired really nicely with the crunchy, garlicky bread. The bread soaked up the tomato liquid without being soggy. Perfection!
• Difficulty: Very easy and looks impressive.
• Pros: No fancy ingredients or techniques necessary. Everything comes together quickly. The tomato mixture is even better the next day. Since everything is fresh and there are very few ingredients, it's also a healthy dish.
• Cons: The bread does not keep well, so if you have tomatoes left over, just do a new batch of bread each day.
• Misc: Make sure you seed the tomatoes, otherwise you'll end up with far too much liquid and things will get soggy. You can substitute red onion for the shallot, if necessary. The bruschetta is good enough to eat on its own for dinner, but if you want to beef it up a bit, add a smear of ricotta cheese to the bread before putting the tomato mixture on. Any kind of tomatoes will work, but a mix of different varieties and colors looks pretty and adds some depth to the flavor.
• Repeat Performance: In my kitchen, it's already in heavy rotation during the summer months.

Jami's Tomato and Shallot Bruschetta

3 large heirloom tomatoes - seeded and chopped (about 2 cups)

1/3 cup finely chopped shallots

1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

salt

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1 loaf of chewy, crusty bread (sourdough, baguette, ciabatta or focaccia all work well)

Combine tomatoes, shallots, 1 TBSP olive oil, basil and vinegar in a medium bowl. Stir to combine and season with salt to taste. Cover and let stand at room temp for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Over medium heat, add 2 TBSP olive oil to a pan. While pan is heating up, cut your bread into 1/2 inch thick slices. When the oil is shimmering, add the bread to the pan. Brown on each side for 1-2 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Add more oil to the pan between batches, if necessary. Remove bread to plate lined with paper towels to drain. While the bread is still hot, rub the cloves of garlic over it.

Top each slice of bread with a generous amount of the tomato mixture, including the juices. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Riviera Salad

Strawberry season may be my favorite two weeks of summer. To me, it's the true sign that summer is finally here. In Michigan, we're lucky to have U-pick farms and farmers markets in abundance, so it's easy to get your hands on the berries at their peak.  I make jam and freeze berries, but it's impossible to resist snacking on the little beauties as well.

This year, I happened to be going to a birthday party on the same day that I picked up a flat of perfectly ripe, locally grown strawberries. A Riviera salad was a natural next step.  The salad went over very well at the party. Who can resist fresh fruit and a creamy dressing?

The rundown:

• Flavor/Texture: I love this salad because it's a mix of textures and complimentary fresh and bright flavors. You get a great crunch from the Romaine and walnuts, while the berries and oranges give it a sweet twist. The dressing has some savory notes, which is a nice balance.
• Difficulty: It's a salad, so it's bound to be pretty easy. There aren't many ingredients, so quality really matters. Make sure your fruit is perfectly ripe, the lettuce is fully rinsed and dried, and that you choose a good quality cheese.
• Pros: Quick and easy to put together. The ingredients are things pretty much everyone likes. The colors in this dish are also amazing. It's much more fun to eat food that's visually appealing.
• Cons: The dressing will wilt the Romaine fairly quickly in the summer heat, so dress it just before serving so you don't end up with a soggy salad.
• Misc.: The dressing is quick and easy, but if you must, you can use a store-bought version. Locally, you can get Arnie's, which is the best. Marie Callender's is good as well.
• Repeat Performance: I have made this salad many times in the past and it will continue to be a summer favorite.

Riviera Salad

2 Romaine hearts, torn or sliced into bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 lb Swiss cheese, finely shredded

1 small can of mandarin oranges, rinsed and drained

1 cup sliced strawberries

Dressing:

1/3 cup mayo (don't use Miracle Whip, it will NOT taste good)

2 Tbsp milk

2 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp vinegar (you can use any kind, but I prefer something milder, like champagne or sherry vinegar)

1 Tbsp of poppy seeds

1/4 of a small sweet onion

salt to taste

Whisk the mayo, milk, sugar, vinegar and a dash of salt together in a small bowl. Using the finest side of a box grater (or a microplane, if you have one), grate a tiny bit of the onion into the dressing.  Mix well and then taste. Add more onion if necessary. When you're satisfied with the dressing taste, mix in the poppy seeds and stir well. 

Put half of the Romaine into a large bowl.  Layer half of the berries, oranges, walnuts and cheese.  If serving immediately, add dressing the the layers and toss.  If not, store the dressing in a separate container. Repeat the layers with the rest of the ingredients and toss.

Chill until ready to serve.



Grilling Time

The first nice weather of the year always gets people eager to start grilling again. This year, I have resolved to do more grilling. I like it, but I'm not particularly great at it since I rarely do it. That is about to change though, starting with this recipe! 

This recipe was great, and it was gorgeous to boot. I love sweet potatoes and they look especially pretty here with the parsley and scallions.  Also, this hash was genius. When I tasted it, I wasn't a fan of the thyme and thought that next time I'd just leave it out. It was a little strong and the woodsy taste didn't seem to balance with the sweetness of the potato.  When I took a bite of the steak though, it all came together. The thyme really elevated the hash to a new level and helped it stand up to the red meat. 

The breakdown:

• Flavor/Texture: Great balance of sweet, salty, and savory. All very bold flavors, but they work together and don't end up being overwhelming.
• Difficulty: Easy recipe to follow, no fancy equipment required.
• Pros: A different take on "steak and potatoes", with a wide appeal.
• Cons: The timing was tricky since I kept having to go out to the grill while I was keeping an eye on the hash.  Next time, I will definitely make the hash first and then tend to the meat, rather than working them at the same time.
• Misc: Blanching the potatoes for 3 minutes was not long enough if you really want them to soften and brown in the hash in 15 minutes.  Increase the blanching to 5 min, or brown them in the pan for an additional 5 minutes. I forgot to get bone-in steaks, and I used scallions instead of chives. I substituted thick-cut bacon instead of slab bacon. I like my steaks medium, so I cooked them for 5 minutes per side.
• Encore Performance: I would definitely take this recipe out for another spin.

Grilled Strip Steaks with Sweet Potato Hash Browns

By Frank Stitt for Food & Wine

Makes 4 servings

4 sweet potatoes (1 3/4 lbs) peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

6 ounces slab bacon, sliced 1/4 inch think and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 pound sweet onions, cut into 1/2 inch dice

2 Tbsp chopped parsley

2 Tbsp minced chives

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

Salt and freshly cracked pepper

4 12-ounce bone-in strip steaks

Light grill. In a medium saucepan of lightly salted boiling water, blanch the sweet potatoes for 3 minutes; drain well.

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Add the bacon and cook over moderate heat until crisp, 4-5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Add the onions to the skillet and cook over moderate heat until browned, about 12 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 15 minutes. Increase the heat to high and cook without stirring until browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Stir in the bacon, parsley, thyme and chives; season with salt and pepper.

Season the steaks generously with salt and pepper and grill over high heat until nicely browned outside and medium-rare within, about 4 minutes per side. Let rest for 5 minutes, then serve with the hash browns.

Make Ahead: The hash browns can be prepared up to two hours in advance.

Fire up that grill and dig in!

Dress it up

When the weather starts to warm up each year, I find myself looking forward to the first spring vegetables.  There's nothing like seeing early lettuces, broccoli and other goodies hitting the farmers market. I inevitably start thinking of all the things I'm going to make with them.

I love vegetables, but I usually prefer them raw or very, very lightly steamed. I like the crunch and the taste of raw veggies. As a result, I enjoy a lot of salads.  I eat salad at least once per day, just about every day.  I like to mix it up with different kinds of greens, veggies and dressings to keep things interesting.  About a year ago, I read the ingredients in one of my favorite bottled dressings and was a little baffled. It's a simple vinegar and oil dressing, but I couldn't even pronounce half of the stuff in it.  Feeling disillusioned and annoyed, I decided that I would make my own dressings from there on out.  And I did.  It's quick and easy, and once I learned a base recipe or two, the combinations seemed endless.  Best of all, I control exactly what's in it. No more xanthan gum or calcium disodium for me!

The following is my favorite fool-proof basic vinaigrette recipe.  It's very flavorful and the mustard helps to bind the oil and vinegar into something creamy and wonderful (don't worry - the dressing doesn't taste strongly of mustard). You can jazz it up by adding minced shallots or fresh herbs like parsley, chives or tarragon. I use my small food processor for making the base, rather than the blender. Either one will work. Get a couple of squirt bottles for storage, and you're good to go.

House Vinaigrette, by Thomas Keller
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups canola oil (you can use vegetable oil, but don't substitute olive oil here, it's too heavy)

Combine the mustard and vinegar in a blender and blend at medium speed for about 15 seconds.  With the machine running, slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup of the oil.  Don't be tempted to add all of the oil to the blender, or the vinaigrette will becomg too thick.  It should be very creamy.

Transfer the vinaigrette to a small bowl and, whisking constantly, slowly stream in the remaining 1 cup oil. The dressing can be refrigerated for up to two weeks. Should the vinaigrette separate, use a blender or immersion blender to re-emulsify it (a vigorous shake of the bottle usually works too).

Go get those veggies!