MISSION: FIGS - In Season & Ready To Eat

Mission Figs (come into season in June), Photo: NK

So much of my weekly menu-making is dictated by what looks fresh and in season at the market. When I am not ordering the heck out of the great produce often available at Freshdirect.com, I am perusing the aisles at specialty stores and, when I can, farm stands. Nothing brings me inspiration faster than grabbing a good lookin' ingredient and building a menu around it. 

Entire food movements swing on this very basic principle, and you don't need to be a serious home cook to benefit from using it yourself. 

Next time you have the urge to create something in the kitchen, try starting with whatever item calls to you, and build and research what you'll do with it from there. With the internet at all of our fingertips, there's never been an easier time to get creative. Today's ingredient muse is in-season Figs, just now appearing on the scene at stores everywhere. The world of figs is a wide one, but we'll be using the well known Mission Fig variety. 

Beautifully ripe, Photo: NK 

With these beauties ready for prime time, I decided I'd turn them into a very simple yet flavorful salad using just a few ingredients. Peppery Arugula would be a great foil for the sweetness of the Figs. A mellow mix of Balsamic Vinegar,Olive Oil, and a bit of Dijon Mustard serves both as a marinade for the Figs and a light dressing to tie the greens together. Shaved Parmgiana curls provide the salty counterpoint. Let your figs sit for thirty minutes in the marinade, and from there, this 4-ingredient salad makes itself. Dress it just before serving and enjoy (and never forget to let the season inspire you!). 

Marinated Fig & Arugula Salad, Photo: NK 

Marinated Fig & Arugula Salad
Loosely adapted from Southern Living
Serves 4 

Ingredients:
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
2 teaspoons Agave or Honey
1 teaspoon Grainy Dijon Mustard
A few pinches of Salt
A few pinches of Black Pepper
8 Ripe Figs, sliced in half (we opted for Mission Figs)  

1/8 Lb Parmigiana Cheese, shaved into curls 
5 Ounces Wild Arugula (Rocket), hand torn
1/4 Small Red Onion, very thinly sliced

Method:
1. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Add the Figs, gently stir, and allow the Figs to sit in the Marinade 30 Minutes. 

2. In another bowl, combine the Arugula with the sliced Red Onion. When Marinating has finished, spoon out a 2 to 3 Tablespoons of the Marinade onto the Arugula. Toss slowly and add additional dressing as needed, taking care not to overdress salad and make it soggy.

3. To serve, plate the arugula down the middle of each bowl. Place 4 of the marinated figs on each portion or to the side of it. Finish with shavings of Parmigiana cheese and some extra Black Pepper. Serve immediately. 

Gambas al Ajillo - AKA: Garlicky Tapas Heaven (in minutes!)

Ever walk by an Italian restaurant or pizza place and pause a moment to smell the intoxicating aroma of warm garlic? I sure have, and if you ask me, there's nothing really like it. Where garlic is concerned, the more the better - and who cares about garlic breath, anyway? I consider it a bonus. That's why when I was recently jonesing to put together a quick tapa as an al fresco appetizer (summer is here!), I stopped right at this drool-worthy Garlic and Shrimp combination: Gambas al Ajillo or Shrimp with Garlic, Spanish style. 

Gambas al Ajillo, The Garlicky Tapa That Everyone Loves, Photo: NK 

Gambas al Ajillo can be found all over Spain and really anywhere where tapas are served. It doesn't get more classic than this garlicky to the max dish. And when you see how fast this delicious tapa comes together,  you'll be completely smitten. It is almost too easy. And the taste, oh the taste - just luscious. A nice kick of spice from the Crushed Red Pepper and smoky complexity from Spanish Paprika - one of my favorite spices that is also responsible for the striking reddish color of the shrimp sauce, make an amazing flavor combo. Be certain to buy yourself a nice loaf of rustic peasant bread to soak up the garlicky oil goodness at the bottom of the bowl. Now sit yourself down with a a nice dry white or rose and enjoy the king of all tapas. You will not be disappointed!


Gambas al Ajillo / Spanish Garlic Shrimp Tapa
Lightly adapted from About.com (topic: Spanish Food)
Serves 4 as an appetizer

Ingredients:
24 Medium Shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on
5 large Cloves of Garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1 teaspoon Sweet Spanish Paprika
3 Ounces of Cognac (or substitute Dry Sherry or Bourbon)
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 Cup chopped Italian Parsley
Juice of 1 Lemon 
1 round, crusty Peasant Loaf, cut into large chunk and lightly toasted
Coarse Salt
Black Pepper

Note: this is a fast cooking recipe so be sure to have all your ingredients measured and ready to roll before you start. 

Method: 
1. Heat Oil over a medium flame for a minute and add the minced Garlic and Crushed Red Pepper. Stir gently for about 2 minutes, taking care that the Garlic doesn't burn. 
The mixture will become fragrant. 

2. When the Garlic becomes just slightly brown, add the Shrimp, Lemon Juice, Cognac (or substitute) and Paprika. Raise the flame to high and stir constantly until the Shrimp become pink and curl up. About 2 more minutes.

3. Season the mixture with one or two healthy pinches of Salt, and ample Black Pepper. 
To Serve: Plate equal portions on Shrimp into individual bowls and add some of the Garlic and Oil Mixture on top. Sprinkle each bowl with chopped Parsley and serve with a generous wedge of crusty toasted Bread.

Enjoy! 

Weekend Round Up - Memorial Day Grilling

Welcome to our Memorial Day weekend round up! I've been looking forward to sharing some of the edible highlights of what was a lovely family gathering. Our barbecue, by my husband's special request (it was his birthday so he was running the show!), was anchored by a main course of Sausage and Peppers (my mom makes this dish and it's absolutely delicious). With the meat spoken for, I decided to take the opportunity to indulge my ever-growing vegetable obsession. I knew exactly where I would look for inspiration - to one of my favorite Italian chefs, in this case, Mario Batali.

Grilled Vegetable Salad, Italian Style, Photo: NK

I am always inspired by the way Italians treat vegetables. They just seem to have a knack for making them shine without overpowering their natural merits in any way. Batali's cookbook, Italian Grill, is a perennial favorite in our house. We cook from it summer after summer, but I had yet to try his recipe for mixed vegetables on the grill enhanced with a bright, citrusy marinade.  

I hope you enjoy this colorfully eye-catching grilled platter of meatless delights. It makes a stunning presentation and an even better impression once you taste it. As Mario reminds us, choose vegetables that are in season, and feel free to mix and match based on what looks best to you! 

Mario Batali's Capri-Style Grilled Vegetable Platter 
Very slightly adapted from cookbook, Mario Batali's Italian Grill 

Serves 6

Prepping our veggie platter, Photo: NK

Ingredients: 
1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
3 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 teaspoon dried Oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground Cumin 
1 teaspoon dry Mustard
1 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes 
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 small Italian Eggplants, sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds

Zest of one Orange, reserved. 

Juice of one Orange (optional Orange Rounds can be set aside for garnish)

1 large Yellow Pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into inch long slices 

12 Baby Zucchini, sliced half lengthwise or 4 small zucchini cut in quarters lengthwise

1 large or 2 small Red Onion, cut into wedges

1 small bunch Red Scallions, or regular Scallions (about 6-8), tops and bottoms trimmed

Small bunch very thin Asparagus, about 12-16 spears, tough ends cut off

Kosher Salt

12 large leaves of Basil, cut into think ribbons (chiffonade)

Method:
1. Place a large baking sheet on an outdoor grill and get it nice and hot (or indoors, use a grill pan or preferably a large smooth skillet atop two oven burners). 

2. Mix the marinade/vinaigrette! Combine Red Wine Vinegar, Garlic, Oregano, Cumin, Dry Mustard, Crushed Red Pepper, Olive Oil and the Orange Juice. Combine and set aside.  (Orange Zest will be reserved for garnish)

3. Brush Vegetables on both sides with the Vinaigrette and lay them on the baking sheets. You may need to grill in batches. Sprinkle the vegetables with Salt. Cook, turning once or twice, until just slightly charred. Keep an eye on the smaller veggies especially, as they may char quicker. Remove veggies as they are tender enough and cooked through.

Cook Times:
Eggplant will be 8-10 minutes, 
Yellow Pepper should be 10-12 minutes, 
Zucchini should take 6-8 minutes
Onions and Scallions should be about 4-6 minutes
Asparagus should grill for 5-7 minutes. 
Be sure to remove each vegetable as it is done.

To serve, arrange artfully on a large platter and sprinkle with extra Vinaigrette. Garnish with optional slices of Orange and sprinkle everywhere with Orange Zest. To finish, add your Basil ribbons and serve!! This is great warm or room temperature.

Caprese Salad with Nectarine & Buffalo Mozzarella, Photo: NK

Need a starter nibble?  Why not try my default plate of delectable Buffalo Mozzarella (or even Burrata--swoon!) with in season stone fruit (in this case, Nectarine) plus ribbons of Basil, and a drizzle of Olive Oil and Balsamic Reduction. To finish, just add a sprinkle of salt and pepper and you're good to go!








 
Now don't get me wrong, we do want to leave plenty of room for the meat on our barbie. Check out my mom's Sausage and Pepper masterpiece that we served along with my veggie platter. It was so good!

Sausage & Peppers by my mama, Photo: NK

Finally, a barbecue just ain't a barbeque without a refreshing cocktail to wash everything down. That's why we are declaring Paloma time! Learn a bit more about about the Paloma HERE. Now you may have noticed I am on a bit of a Grapefruit jag, so Palomas made with gorgeous, fresh-squeezed ruby red grapefruit seemed like a great idea. We serve ours Margarita-style with a salt rim. I am even gonna go out on a a limb and call it our official drink of summer 2014.  Here's the how-to below (to make it virgin, replace Tequila with Seltzer water in equal parts). 

Paloma-rita! Photo: NK

Paloma-Rita
Adapted from Drink Of The Week
Makes 1 Drink

Ingredients: 
2 Ounces of Tequila 
1 Ounce Lime Juice 
3 Ice Cubes
4.5 Ounces of fresh squeezed Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice
1 teaspoon Simple Syrup (make a batch in advance and store in fridge - learn how HERE) 
Kosher Salt/Coarse Salt
Lime Wedges

Method: 
Rim each glass with a Lime Wedge to moisten.
Pour Kosher Salt into a flat plate and invert the glass over it to create a salt rim. In a shaker, place a few cubes of ice, Tequila, Grapefruit Juice, Lime Juice and Simple Syrup. Give it a good shake and pour it into Margarita Glass. Garnish with Lime Wedge and serve.

There you have it, folks. A successful holiday barbecue for the books. We hope it'll help gain some inspiration for your next summer feast!

Summery Side - Israeli Couscous with Scallions & Dried Cherries

Around this time each year, I get to thinking about new ways to zhush up an old favorite in our house - Couscous. Couscous is our standby summer side because it's a wonderful make-ahead dish that tastes great at room temperature and lends itself to all kinds of creativity. 

Israeli Couscous with Scallions & Dried Cherries, Photo:NK

I love that it feeds a crowd, and with the right accoutrements, I find it far and away more exciting than your everyday traditional pasta salad. 

With all those barbecues and summer parties around the corner (we'll tell you about our Memorial Day celebration very soon), you can never have too many ideas for potluck dishes. 

As far as types of couscous go, we strongly prefer Pearl Couscous, also known as Israeli. This larger variety holds up really well and just feels a bit more stick-to-your-ribs than its smaller-grained cousin (I should mention that "regular" cous cous is actually more a grain - semolina to be exact - than a pasta, per se). For more ideas and info, check out last year's special Couscous recipe HERE. 

I hope you'll also stick around for today's latest colorful twist on this scrumptious side. I used dried cherries and lots of scallions to create a tart and savory dish that ended up being quite satisfying (with tons leftover for later in the week). It also made a welcome accompaniment to my the tasty roast beef dinner my husband cooked up for me. 

Israeli Couscous with Scallions & Dried Cherries, Photo: NK

Here's how to make it:

Israeli Couscous With Scallions & Dried Cherries 

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

2 Cups Dried Pearl aka Israeli Couscous (approx. an 8.8 oz box)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, divided

2.5 Cups Free Range Organic Chicken Broth (or Vegetable Broth)

3 Ounces Dried Cherries, finely chopped

4 Whole Scallions, both white and green parts, thin sliced

1 Large Clove Garlic, finely minced

Lemon Juice, 3 squeezes - optional

1/2 teaspoon Salt

Lots of Black Pepper

Method:

1. In a large saucepan, toast the Couscous by swirling one Tablespoon Olive Oil in the bottom of the pan over medium heat. Add the dried Couscous and stir fairly constantly until the grains begin to become slightly golden but not black. This should take 2 or 3

Fast to prepare and feeds a crowd, Photo: NK

minutes but watch it closely to avoid burning. Pour the toasted Couscous into a bowl and set aside. Toasting brings out more flavor and makes the small, round pearls even more visually appealing. 

2. In the same large saucepan, bring Broth to a boil and add the Couscous. Turn flame down to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook about 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until Couscous is cooked through and the liquids have disappeared. Ideally it should still have some bite to it, and be somewhat al dente. 

3. Now add minced Garlic and remove from the heat. Place in the refrigerator to chill. This can be done a day in advance. 

4. When ready to finish, stir in the Scallions, Dried Cherries, three squeezes of Lemon Juice and the remaining Tablespoon of Olive Oil. Give it a good stir. Add the Salt a quarter teaspoon at a time so you can adjust it to your taste. Finish with ample Black Pepper. Stir again and store in the fridge until ready to serve. This will keep well overnight and for several days after. The flavors should have time to blend before serving as the definitely get better and better with time.

Enjoy!