Watermelon and Persecco Parfaits
This adult dessert is cool and refreshing. It is great for those hot evenings and very easy to make. Watermelon is one of the ultimate tastes of summer and everything gets better with Persecco.
INGREDIENTS
4 Cups Diced Watermelon (Remove The Seeds Or Use Seedless)
1 ½ Cups Fresh Raspberries
Zest of 1 Lemon
2 Cups Persecco
2 Tablespoons Chambord Liquor
Layer the watermelon and raspberries in 4 parfait glasses. In a glass pitcher combine the Prosecco, Chambord and lemon zest. Stir and quickly pour over the parfaits. Serve immediately. Serves 4
Heirloom Tomato Salad
Never refrigerate tomatoes as the cold temperature dulls the flavor and changes the texture.
INGREDIENTS
1 Small Sliced Very Thin Red Onion
¼ Cup Red Wine Vinegar
¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/8 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1/8 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
3 Pounds Quartered Mixed Color Heirloom Tomatoes
½ Cup Chopped Chiffonade Basil
½ Cup Shaved Ricotta Salata
In a serving bowl, combine vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the olive oil and sliced red onion. Combine and let stand for 30 minutes at room temperature. This will soften the onion. Combine the chopped basil and top with shaved cheese and serve. Serves 6
Portobello Mushroom Stroganoff
The meaty taste of Portobello mushrooms makes this meatless pasta dish very satisfying!
INGREDIENTS
8 Ounces Fettuccine Or Pasta Of Your Choice
8 Ounces Sour Cream
2 Tablespoons Unbleached Flour
¾ Cup White Wine
1 Crumbled Vegetable Bouillon Cube
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 Diced Onions
3 Tablespoons Butter
5 Cups Sliced Portobello Mushrooms
2 Minced Garlic Cloves
Cook the fettuccine, drain and keep warm. Do NOT rinse the pasta. I like to drizzle the cooked pasta with olive oil to keep it from sticking together. In a small bowl combine the sour cream and unbleached flour. Stir in the water, bouillon and black pepper. Set aside. In a large skillet heat the butter over a medium heat and add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes until tender. Stir constantly. Stir in the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the mushroom mixture from the pan and add to the pasta. Keep warm. Wipe out the skillet and stir in the sour cream. Cook until bubbly. Pour the sour cream mixture over the pasta and mushroom mixture. Stir gently to coat. Serve warm. Serves 4
Summer Melon Salsa
This salsa recipe is refreshing and light. Serve it with tortilla chips, over grilled chicken or fish or just serve it as a fresh fruit salad.
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Cubed Seedless Cantaloupe, Watermelon and/or Honeydew
1 Cup Chopped Seedless Cucumber
½ Cup Chopped Orange Bell Pepper
½ Cup Chopped Green Bell Pepper
½ Cup Fresh Corn Cut From The Cob
4 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Cilantro
1 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Red Onion
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon Honey
In a medium bowl combine the melon, cucumber, peppers, corn, cilantro and onion. In a small bowl whisk together the lime juice and honey and toss with the melon mixture. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Serves 4
Crawfish Etouffee
True confession…I have to confess that I used to be afraid of crawfish. It all started when I was about 5 years old riding in the back seat of an Oldsmobile going fishin’. There was an old Folgers’s coffee can on the back floorboard filled with live crawdads for bate. Somehow the crawdads forced the plastic lid off the coffee can and began crawling up the seat toward me. I don’t think I have screamed that loud since then.
INGREDIENTS
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Unbleached Flour
2 Cups Chopped Onion
1 Cup Chopped Celery
½ Cup Chopped Green Pepper
14 Ounces Chicken Broth
¼ Cup Sliced Green Onions
¼ Cup Fresh Chopped Parsley
7 Minced Garlic Cloves
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Bay Leaf
1 Pound Fresh Peeled & Cooked Crawfish
3 Cups Hot Cooked Rice
In a large skillet heat the 1/3 cup olive oil over a medium heat for 3 minutes. Gradually stir in the flour until smooth. Cook the roux over a medium low heat for 20 minutes until the mixture is dark reddish brown. Stir frequently. Next, add the onion, celery and green pepper. Cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally. Stir in the chicken broth, green onion and parsley, garlic, salt and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer covered for 10 minutes. Add the crawfish and cook until warmed through. You can substitute crawfish with shrimp if you wish. Just make sure that you use 1 ½ pounds of shrimp that has been peeled and deveined and cook until opaque. Throw away the bay leaf and serve over rice. Serves 6
Corn Chowder
This corn chowder is a real summer treat! Serve with warm buttermilk biscuits.
INGREDIENTS
6 Medium Ears of Corn
5 Slices Diced Bacon
1 Medium Chopped Red Onion
1 Seeded and Chopped Jalapeno Chile
1 Chopped Garlic Clove
2 Tablespoons Unbleached Flour
½ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Pound Chopped Red Potatoes
15 Ounces Chicken Broth
2 Cups Half & Half
2 Peeled, Seeded & Chopped Ripe Tomatoes
5 Thinly Sliced Basil Leaves
Cut the corn kernels from the cobs. This will yield about 3 cups. Keep 3 of the cobs and throw the other 3 away. In a 5 quart Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until browned. Reserve the bacon drippings. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain. Crumble the bacon and set aside. In the Dutch oven add the onions and jalapeno to the bacon drippings. Cook and stir for 5 minutes until the onion is tender. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 1 more minute. Next, stir in the potatoes, the three reserved corncobs, the chicken broth and the half & half. Heat to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Throw away the corncobs and stir in the reserved corn kernels. Heat through. Transfer the chowder to a warm soup tureen or a large serving bowl. Stir in the tomatoes and sprinkle with the bacon and basil. Serves 8
Mango Citrus Chicken Kabobs
INGREDIENTS
5 Pounds Boneless & Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Large Orange or Red Bell Pepper
MARINADE
½ Pound Peeled/Pitted/Diced Fresh Ripe Mango
1 Pound Spicy Mango Chutney
1 Diced & Cleaned Green Bell Pepper
1 Teaspoon Fresh Cilantro
1 Teaspoon Fresh Chopped Jalapeno Pepper
1 Teaspoon Fresh Lime Juice
4 Teaspoons Teriyaki Sauce
1 Teaspoon Thai Chili Sauce
1 Teaspoon Salt
Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a food processor and blend for 20 seconds. Cut the chicken breasts into 1 ½ inch cubes. Place chicken cubes in a large zip lock bag or a square pan. Pour marinade over chicken cubes and place in the refrigerator. Marinade for at least 3 hours. In the meantime cut up the bell pepper into pieces. Soak 10 wood or bamboo skewers in water for 20 minutes. This prevents the skewers from burning on the grill. Remove marinated chicken from the refrigerator and arrange the chicken and pepper on the soaked skewers. Place on a medium-high heat grill and grill for 6 to 8 minutes on each side. Serve warm. Serves 4
Favorite Taco Salad
There are many variations of the taco salad. Often served as a fried flour tortilla shell stuffed with shredded lettuce and topped with diced tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, guacamole and taco sauce. The salad is topped with taco meat which is often times ground beef or seasoned shredded chicken. The salad also may have a base of refried beans on the shell before the lettuce is added. Here is my recipe for taco salad.
INGREDIENTS
Dressing:
¼ Cup Fresh Lime Juice
½ Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
¼ Teaspoon Ground Cumin
½ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
½ Cup Olive Oil
Beef:
1 Chopped Medium Onion
4 Finely Chopped Garlic Cloves
2 Fresh & Finely Chopped Serrano Chiles
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 ½ Pounds Ground Sirloin
8 Ounces Tomato Sauce
½ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Salad:
1 Large Avocado
1 Thinly Sliced Head Iceberg Lettuce
1 Chopped Large Tomato
1 ½ Cups Grated Extra-Sharp Cheddar Cheese
6 Ounces Sliced & Pitted Black Olives
15 to 19 Ounces of Black Beans (Drained & Rinsed)
To make the dressing: whisk together the lime juice, cilantro, sugar, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Next add the oil in a stream while whisking. Whisk until emulsified.
To cook the beef: in a large heavy skillet cook the onion, garlic, chilies, chili powder and cumin the oil over medium heat. Stir occasionally and cook for 6 minutes until the onion is softened. Next add the beef and cook for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally and break up any lumps. Cook until meat is no longer pink and then spoon off any excess fat from the skillet. Add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper to the beef and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Assemble the salad: peel and pit the avocado and then cut into ½ inch pieces. Spread the lettuce over bottom of a shallow 4 quart dish. Spoon beef mixture evenly over the lettuce and continue making layers with tomatoes, cheese, beans, avocado and olives. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve. Serves 6
Gazpacho
Often described as a liquid salad, gazpacho descends from ancient Roman concoction based on a combination of stale bread, garlic, olive oil, salt and vinegar. As Romans labored to build roads and aqueducts across Spain in the scorching heat, this creamy soup replenished them with the necessary salt and vitamins lost through physical exertion. Later, shepherds and farmers added vegetables to make it more hearty and satisfying. Because tomatoes and bell peppers were not indigenous to Spain, these ingredients were not added to the soup until after Spain’s discovery of the New World. Since that time, gazpacho has remained relatively unchanged. We are grateful for such an unpretentious soup designed to quench the thirst evoked by the unrelenting Spanish sun.
INGREDIENTS
1 Large Cucumber
2 Red Bell Peppers
1 Yellow Bell Pepper
4 Medium Tomatoes
1 Red Onion
3 Minced Garlic Cloves
3 Cups Tomato Juice
¼ Cup White Wine Vinegar
¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ Tablespoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
Halve and seed the cucumber, but do not peel it. Core and seed the three bell peppers. Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes and red onion into 1 inch cubes. Reserve a small bit of each vegetable to put in at the end so that the soup has some crunch. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not over process. After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. The longer the gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop. Serve anytime, but especially on a hot summer day. Serves 4
White Bean Salad
INGREDIENTS
14 ½ Ounces of White Beans (If You Use Canned Drain, But Do Not Rinse)
2 Tablespoons Chopped Red Onion
2 Tablespoons Chopped Green Onion
1 Finely Chopped Carrot
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
2 Teaspoons Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
½ Teaspoon Sea Salt
½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
Chop the onions and carrots. Squeeze the lemon juice over the chopped onions and carrots and set it aside. Combine all ingredients into a serving dish. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours and the flavors will combine. Serves 4
