Margherita is and always will be the best form of pizza. You can try to dissuade me from this fact- because to me it is indeed fact and not opinion- but I shan’t believe you. I had my first margherita in Italy in middle school and I’m never going back to any other kind as far as favouritism goes- it’s delicious :). Basil + tomato + fresh mozzarella di bufula = perfection. Unfortunately, while getting fresh basil only means going out of my way to a different grocery store, getting buffalo mozzarella is near-impossible in the states.

So here’s the closest I can get to it at home: using a gluten-free garlic pizza dough mix that B left for me one night ;) (thanks, B!) and my mother’s never-fail moist chicken cooking technique, this makes a yummy dish. I’m going to cheat a bit and offer the simplified recipe as this is one that’s truly open to who-knows-how-many variants.

Gluten-Free Chicken Margherita Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1/2 package gluten-free pizza crust mix  (B brought by a bag of Namaste Foods’ recipe)
• 1 can (about 5 oz) organic tomato sauce (NOT paste!)
• 1 skinless boneless chicken breast cooked in your desired fashion
• 1 ball fresh mozzarella (needs to be a fresh, squishy ball)
• 5-6 leaves fresh basil, chopped roughly
• 1 large fresh roma tomato

Process:

1. Prepare crust as directed on package.
2. Once you’re ready to assemble ingredients, smooth on a layer of tomato sauce, making sure it’s staying about 1/2 inch away from the edges.
3. Sprinkle on some of the basil into the sauce; reserve most for topping.
4. Place on slices tomato rounds and thick slices of mozzarella.
5. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.
6. Take out and place chicken on top and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.
7. Remove from heat, sprinkle on additional basil, admire and photograph, then eat.

Ah, you see, I cheated and didn’t really offer much direction at all, but never mind that. This thing is delicious, easy to make on a weeknight, and reminds you of Italy. You really don’t need anything else in life.

It’s always lonely to be by yourself at home and when my mother left for Paris with my grandmother, that left my father doing just that- being home alone! Remedy: have him over for dinner! (NOT Silence of the Lambs kind of “have you over for dinner”, though…) I figured that my father would perhaps be a bit unsettled by some of my more experimental foods… and his standards are quite exceptionally high, as the gifted chefs in the family are all on his side (minus my mother, of course), so… traditional-ish it was!

I decided to do something very familiar and comforting: confit some tomatoes in the oven, bake some chicken so that it’s juicy and tender, and toss it in some whole wheat pasta shells and housemade pesto, with some shaved parmiggiano on top. What can go wrong there?

It was really quite delicious, and the leftovers were super convenient for bringing in to work the next week. This is a great keep-in-the-fridge-for-a-few-days dish, and a rather simple one as well. The sweetness of the tomato cuts into the nuttiness of the pesto, while the cheese on top adds some hints of earthiness that makes the whole thing come together quite nicely.

Whole Wheat Chicken ‘n Pesto Shells with Tomates Confites

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (1 box) whole wheat pasta shells
• 1 box (usually 8-12 oz) cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 generous cup house-made pesto
• 3-4 medium-sized chicken breasts
• extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt, freshly-cracked black pepper
• parmiggiano reggiano (or reggianito) to shave

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and place a Silpat or other silicone mat on a baking sheet (large enough to fit all your chicken on)
2. Set a pot of water to boil for pasta; salt generously and drop in 1-2 tsp olive oil into the water
3. Measure out pesto and leave on the counter so it can warm while you prepare the rest of the dish
4. Lightly coat a second baking sheet with olive oil (just brush on a very thin coat)
5. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half (whichever way you like) and arrange (fairly haphazardly, really) on the baking sheet. Salt lightly and sprinkle with herbs or spices if desired (my mother uses Herbes de Provence; I’m a fan of a pinch of paprika/cumin/coriander). Drizzle with more olive oil on top.
6. Clean the chicken breasts and arrange on the baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Flip and repeat so that both sides are coated and seasoned.
7. Once the oven is sufficiently hot, place the tomatoes on the bottom rack and the chicken on the top rack (if you have two racks, that is) of the oven
8. Once the water is boiling, place pasta in water and cook as directed; I like mine just a bit al dente (it’s what the Italians do)
9. Bake the chicken for about 10 minutes, then flip the oven using kitchen tongs, a glove, and patience/care. Don’t burn yourself with that oven door open! You can always take the sheet out, flip, and return to the oven if you’re not too lethargic. While you’re at it, rotate the tomato pan.
10. After another 10 minutes, take your tongs and press upon the chicken. If there’s a lot of give, leave it in for another few minutes- you’re looking for the outside to be golden brown and for the inside to have only a bit of give. The squishier it is, the less cooked- and unfortunately, sashimi chicken isn’t a good dish to try :)
11. Once the tomatoes are drying out a bit and are blistering, you can remove them from the oven. The amount of time they spend in there is totally up to you- if you have the time, roasting them at a lower temp (360 or so) for longer yields even better results; this is the ‘quick version’
12. Remove the tomatoes and chicken from the oven and let cook for a moment.
13. Once pasta is cooked, drain (but not excessively, a little water in this is fine) and place in a large mixing bowl. Using kitchen tongs, cut the chicken into large, wide (but fairly thin) strips. Add to bowl. Scrape tomatoes as-is into bowl as well. Scoop in the pesto, and mix. Add salt and pepper to taste, and drizzle in a bit of olive oil. Shave the cheese on top and…. voila!

It’s one of those go-to standbys for me because I don’t need to consult a recipe and it has infinite variations. Sometimes I also confit some bell peppers (red/yellow/orange)… sometimes with herbs, sometimes with spices… carrots work nicely, too, when baked with cheese. You get the idea- pick the brightly-coloured vegetable(s) of your choice! And then dig in :)

We were having a friend over for dinner and this friend (K) and I disagree on a great many things. Despite our being on opposite ends of the spectrum on what many would consider to be life’s most important topics, she’s one of my very closest friends, and has been for years. She’s a wonderful person, and so for her- and probably only her- would I honour a request that goes as follows:

Me: “Hey, so what should I make for dinner?”

K: “Does it sound bad if I say nothing particularly Frenchy?”

I’d say it’s a testament to our friendship that she asked so nicely :) and so I went searching about for something non-French! I also wanted to do something simple and that had a very tiny possibility of not being liked. Therefore… who doesn’t like cheese pizza? Right? I know her not to be lactose-intolerant, so I figured this one was the safest possible choice. Thankfully, she quite enjoyed it. That “mmh!” she said was wonderful to hear.

Rosemary Margherita ‘Pizza’ Tart

Adapted from David Lebovitz’s French Tomato Tart, which is in turn adapted from A Culinary Journey in Gascony

Ingredients (variation of original):

• 1.5 cups organic AP flour (King Arthur)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 tablespoons soy butter
• 1 large egg (cage-free, brown, organic)
• 2 tablespoons cool water
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (Grey Poupon)
• 4 large hothouse tomatoes, ripe (quantity will vary based on tomato size and your tomato preferences)
• 1/2 jar Muir Glen original tomato sauce
• 1 large ball fresh mozarella cheese
• 2-3 tablespoons freshly-frated parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon large grain sea salt

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the soy butter and mix until the butter is fully dispersed into the flour and comes to a crumbly texture
3. Mix the egg with the water in a small bowl, beating thoroughly until the mixture has a light yellow colour.
4. Pour the egg mixture into the center of the flour mixture and mix in to where everything holds together into a dough ball.
5. Flour a work surface, flour your rolling pin, and place the dough ball onto the middle of your work surface. Roll it out and keep dusting it with flour, until there is no stickiness to the dough.
6. Roll the dough onto your rolling pin and place it onto a large 9-inch fluted tart pan. Press the dough onto the sides firmly, then roll your pin across the top to remove the excess dough (which you can use to make a freeform tart, twists, or whatever you choose!)
7. Brush on the mustard and arrange the sliced tomatoes over the mustard. Fill in the holes (where you can see the mustard / there are less tomatoes) with the tomato sauce, then spread whatever you haven’t used of it over the tops of the tomatoes.
8. Place large slices of the mozarella over the tomatoes & sauce. Then sprinkle on the parmesan cheese, sea salt, drizzle on the olive oil…. then take some of the rosemary off of the sprigs and place over the pizza. Lastly, for decoration, place on two large sprigs of rosemary to infuse the pizza.
9. Place in oven for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese has browned to a golden colour and the crust is just turning golden-brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then enjoy!

Yum yum yum. The sister has taken to this recipe, and it’s a very yummy one. I’m never against fresh mozarella, personally, and neither should be the general populace, because mmmmh, it’s so good! :)

I had the fortune of finding a book H had been lusting after (her words) for her birthday- and as it’s a cookbook of Giada’s, we naturally had to break it in by making something out of the book. H suggested we try her pasta ponza. I was afraid of the capers, but decided to try being brave for her, and so we set out on it. We followed the recipe rather closely- minus using all red cherry tomatoes (no yellow), using whole wheat shell pasta in lieu of ziti, and a mix of grated Reggianito and parmesan in stead of Pecorino Romano. The capers were a bit much for me, but I love the tomatoes, the breadcrumbs, and the idea in general- I plan to bake crusted tomatoes in the future, because that was delicious! As for the capers… I’ve gotten better about being open to foods, but it looks like this is one I’ll continue to have difficult with (which is ironic and sad, as I love balsamic vinegar).

Pasta Ponza

Following Giada de Laurentiis’ Pasta Ponza

I’m not going to bother with reposting the recipe because: a) I’m feeling lethargic and it is rather late; b) we didn’t change very much, so the recipe structure is the same; c) I’m now thinking about balsamic vinegar and my mind has drifted. My writing out this recipe now may result in something off-topic and involving dreaming of Modena, so I think I’ll refrain :). That said, this pasta was a simple one with tons of flavour, and would make a terrific week-time dish to make in a large batch with leftovers for lunch at work!

Ah! I’m running over a week late! I blame the business, the preparations for vacation (the boyfriend and I leave on a cruise this Sunday… I’m very excited), my parents returning to the states (they had spent the majority of June touring Turkey, and it’s wonderful to have them back!) and so forth. So I’m rather late- I apologize for this (particularly to H’s family members, who I’m sure have been waiting to hear news!)

Two weeks again, over came the lovely H for our weekly cooking date. This was the week of her birthday- happy belated, H!- and so we were looking to make something special yet simple… and, of course, to watch Aladdin (the sequel) because for those who don’t know her, she’s a bit of an Aladdin fanatic.

I had suggested this crunchy parmesan chicken tender recipe of Giada’s; she countered by suggested we used a variant of it in a salad. Not being one to scoff at the benefits of leafy greens, I readily agreed, and we made this salad. The salad ingerdients themselves other than the chicken and the vinaigrette are of H’s design, so blame her if it’s not to your liking ;)

That said, it’s rich, it’s creamy (that avocado really does it), crunchy, soft, fresh, and very delicious. It’s got a Southwestern flare with the cornmeal but has a bit of Italian influence in the heavy use of lemon and parmesan cheese.

Southwestern Cornmeal- & Parmesan-Baked Chicken Salad

Chicken Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis’ Crunchy Parmesan Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:

• 2.5 chicken breasts, cleaned, de-boned
• 1 cup 1% organic milk
• 3/4 cup grated Reggianito cheese
• 4 tablespoons cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Large pinch of sea salt
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced coarsely
• 1/2 avocado, cut into small pieces/cubes
• 2/3 cup yellow corn, kerneled
• 7 oz. fresh organic spring mix
• 2 tablespoons Tilamook sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• Vinaigrette: 1 part honey to 1 part extra-virgin olive oil to 2 parts lemon juice + salt/pepper

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F
2. Pour milk into a small bowl, and submerge chicken in bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, place in fridge for approximately 25 minutes.
3. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly brush with olive oil; set aside
4. Mix together the cornmeal and Reggianito in a small bowl
5. After the 25 minutes have elapsed, remove the chicken from the milk bowl and coat thickly with the cornmeal-cheese mixture. Press the cornmeal mixture firmly into the chicken to create a thick crust. Place each coated chicken breast onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
6. Space the chicken pieces out evenly, drizzle with more olive oil, and bake for 15 minutes or until golden and crispy on the outside but soft inside. Set aside chicken to cool while you prepare the salad.
7. Place spring mix, tomato, corn, and avocado in a bowl and toss thoroughly. Mix together vinaigrette (whatever quantity you desire) and drizzle onto the salad.
8. Sprinkle on grated Tilamook and toss once more.
9. Cut the chicken into large cubes, place on top of salad, and toss again. Serve and nom!

I used local cornmeal (from the Gristmill) and recommend using some that’s as fresh as you can find- it really gives it a crisp and delicious crust. The chicken was incredibly tender thanks to the milk bath- no need for buttermilk, 1% was enough to coat it well! The avocado adds richness and creaminess, the corn sweetness. It’s a hearty salad, so mind that you not overeat it- but it’s really delicious. H came up with a rather brilliant combination for this one, I must say :)

Recently, H and I made a delicious Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart, using David Lebovitz’s recipe. It was so good- and so simple to make- that I was determined to make it again and- of course- experiment with it a bit (general rule: make it once more-or-less as described, then start having fun with it).

I wanted to try a whole wheat crust, putting some herbs into it (Kerbey Lane Cafe here in Austin has a tomato tart with an herbed crust that I really enjoy, and thus wanted to try getting something to be similar) and trying a different cheese. My mother had kindly given me a large piece of Reggianito (the Argentine version of Parmigiano Reggiano)… clearly, it was a sign.

This turned out very well, and was just as easy as the first one to make! I took a hint from some comments I read on David’s recipe page and made two major adjustments: 1) using rice at the bottom (I know, it sounds absolutely insane, but hear me out), and 2) drying the tomato slices.

Rice: An issue I had with the tart our first time around was that after removing it from the oven, there was quite a bit of moisture hanging about at the bottom of the crust and it made the bottom crust a bit moist. To remedy this, I sprinkled a bit of jasmine rice along the bottom (see pictures below) to soak in the moisture. The commentors on David’s blog say you can use it for both savoury and sweet tarts. Neat!

Tomato drying: I placed the tomato slices within paper towels and pressed down, to remove some of the moisture (but did not carve out the seeds and seed-holding gel, as H tells me this is where the nutrients live!). The result: dyer tomatoes, without the loss of nutrients.

And thus- here’s adaption number two of this yummy and tasty treat!

Tomato and Reggianito Tart with Whole Wheat Herb Crust

Adapted from David Lebovitz’s French Tomato Tart, which is in turn adapted from A Culinary Journey in Gascony

Ingredients (variation of original):

• 1 cup organic AP flour
• 1/2 heaping cup organic whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• slightly under 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon each of dried basil, thyme, and rosemary
• 8 tablespoons soy butter
• 1 large egg, cage-free
• 3 tablespoons cool water
• 3 tablesppons Dijon mustard (Grey Poupon)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons jasmine rice
• 1/2 cup chopped basil
• 8 large shavings of reggianito
• 8 large roma tomatoes, ripe (quantity will vary based on tomato size and your tomato preferences)
• Sea salt (large grain) for sprinkling on top

Process:

Visit David! (Recipe at the very bottom). Only changes I made were:

• using a food processor for mixing the dough
• adding the dried herbs to the dough mixture (and using both types of flour)
• no honey this time!
• reggianito cheese in stead of goat cheese

And that’s that! It’s quick, it’s simple, it’s delicious… and with the whole wheat crust and added herbs, better than before in terms of health! Try it out and make your own changes. I’ll probably keep changing this ever time I make it. Hah.

Oh, goodness, this was a yummy one. H and I were searching through potential victims for our weekly cooking date and I had happened upon this one on David Lebovitz (he’s one of my culinary idols, for his post on the boiled tart crust, if nothing else) earlier that week and was in love. (sorry, boyfriend, but no worries, I’m not leaving you for tomato and goat cheese!) Plus, this was a fabulous opportunity to break out three birthday presents- the food processor from the boyfried (!!!), the silpat from H; and the lovely ceramic tart dish from my parents. :) Opportunities to use exciting new gifts? Yes, please!

We followed it really quite precisely according to the recipe, and it was delicious. We had leftover ingredients and thus used the silpat to line the bottom of a sheet pan with the leftover dough made free-galette style, basil-less because the sister tends to not be too crazy about fresh basil and I didn’t want her missing out on the tart. Because, really, no one should miss out on this sort of thing. Mmmmh.

Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart

Following David Lebovitz’s French Tomato Tart, adapted from A Culinary Journey in Gascony

Ingredients (because ours differed slightly):

• 1 1/2 cups organic AP flour
• 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, cage-free, brown
• 3 tablespoons cold water
• 1 1/2 cups (210 g) flour
• 1.5-2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (we used Grey Poupon)
• 8 large roma tomatoes, ripe (quantity will vary based on tomato size and your tomato preferences
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• a large amount of fresh basil (we chopped it, came out to probably around 4 tablespoons)
• 8 ounces fresh goat cheese, sliced into rounds about 3/4-inch thick (we used Montchevre)
• 2 tablespoons clover honey for drizzling
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Process:

Visit David! (Recipe at the very bottom- we followed the same process, save for using the food processor to mix the tart dough; adding basil in stead of other herbs (both below and on top of the goat cheese- see pictures below for process); etc.

We glazed both tarts- the galette and the traditional one- with clover honey prior to baking. We also greatly abused the large one with fresh basil, throwing on gobs of it (I adore basil, and definitely got this from my mother. Best herb ever, hands-down) so feel free to switch it up (David used thyme and a few other herbs in its stead). The sister keeps asking for a repeat performance of this one and the boyfriend didn’t get to taste since he wasn’t hanging out with us that night, which means this one is very likely to happen again in the near-future (as in today or tomorrow… which means I’ll be 7 behind for here, I think…. aye.)

In other news, I’ve discovered that there’s a large, bountiful rosemary plant right outside my building, on the corner. I have plans to go down sneakily around midnight, clad fully in black, and secretly snip a sprig or two to use in my next night of culinary inspiration…or to use for making rosemary skewers… just don’t tell anyone, please. Shhhhhhh.

I proved quite fully with this dish that my sister and I sadly realllly can’t handle the slightest bit of spice. We had this conversation at dinner while eating this:

Sister: (fanning self slightly)

Boyfriend: (nomnomnomnom)

Me: Boyfriend, is this not spicy to you?

Boyfriend: Ahm… no? Should it be?

Sister: To me, on a scale of 1 to 10, this is a 7. Hot hot hot hot!

Boyfriend: To me this is… mmh.. maybe a .7, on that same scale.

So as you can see, to the average person (or perhaps to the usual spicily-tolerant Asian boy), this is not that spicy- in which case the title is inaccurate- but as it was spicy to me, I’m keeping the name. So stricken. :) It’s certainly a tasty dish, and quite healthy, at that.

Spicy Tomato & Cheese Whole Grain Penne Bake

Ingredients:

• 5 tiny sweet white onions
• 4 fresh cherry tomatoes
• 3/4 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tblspn soy butter
• 1/2 box whole grain penne
• 3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/8 tsp each of cayenne pepper, paprika, coriander, cumin, garlic powder
• 1 28-oz can of organic diced tomatoes in juice
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/3 cup shredded mozarella
• 2 chicken breasts, cleaned
• 1/3 cup dry cream sherry
• 1 tsp each of dried oregano, basil
• 1/2 cup grated Reggianito (Argentine Parmesan)
• sea salt & freshly-cracked black pepper

Process:

1. Dice onion fairly finely and place in sautee pan with 1 tblspn soy butter, garlic, and sprinkling of salt and pepper
2. Once it begins to bubble and brown, add in the spices (red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, paprika, coriander, cumin, garlic powder) and continue mixing until red/golden in colour
3. Add in the entire can of diced tomatoes and their juice, and the lemon juice and put on medium low heat; stir occasionaly, allow to bubble and thicken
4. Heat water to boil and cook penne according to your preference or box instructions (I like it a bit al dente, with salt and olive oil to prevent sticking). Rinse lightly, then pour into a greased deep baking dish.
5. Place the cherry tomato slices over the pasta (see picture) along with half of the cheese, and drizzle lightly with olive oil (optional)
6. Pour thickened tomato sauce over the tomato slices and pasta, and smooth out to where it’s evenly laid. Sprinkle on a bit more cheese.
7. Preheat oven to 355 degrees F.
8. Sautee 1 more tblspn of soy butter with a spinkle of salt and pepper until bubbling; then add in the chicken breasts. Sear on both sides until no more ‘pink flesh’ is visible- then add in the sherry and reduce to a caramel-y sauce. Glaze the chicken with this and remove onto a cutting board.
9. Cut the chicken into large cubes, then put back into the sautee pan (hope you didn’t clean it, you want that fond de sauce in there!) and continue to sautee for 2-3 minutes until browned on all sides.
10. Sprinkle the herbs onto the top of the tomato sauce mixture, evenly spread about the dish.
11. Remove the chicken from pan and place evenly on top of tomato sauce/herbs/cheese.
12. Grate the Reggianito on top, sprinkle with a bit more salt and pepper, and place in oven for 20 minutes approximately, until the cheese is melted and golden.
13. Allow to cool slightly, then serve warm (may fall apart- be wary and be ready to catch falling pieces)

If you can handle spice, then up the spiciness by adding more cayenne and red pepper flakes. But if you’re a spice wimp, like me, then you needn’t add more, this is already plenty :).

Summertime is here and that means, traditionally speaking, an ample amount of grilling! Sadly I have no balcony or backyard at the apartment and thus grilling indoors results in some smokey-ness… but I suppose if we were ever to eat the apartment, I could bill it as a ‘smoked apartment’ with ‘smokey flavour’… not that we’d ever be eating the dry-wall, so the point’s completely moot.

The boyfriend has been doing quite a bit of physical labour as of late for my family. I told him it’s like being a husband with none of the perks, constantly being asked to lift heavy things and whatnot- so I opted to say thanks in the form of steak. Like most men, he has a high appreciation for meat. As I don’t, I opted for salmon (yay, fish and fatty acids).

The char was strong, but I personally enjoy the char of grill, so some blackening was by no means a hardship. The addition of balsamic vinegar (fake, of course, I have yet to obtain a bottle of the real thing but it’s on my life’s to-do list… read the wiki for more information, and realize that the likelihood of your having had actual balsamic is, unfortunately, low) and olive oil- with some spice- took away the slight bitterness of the spring mix, making for a crisp, crunchy, summery dinner.

Grilled Herb Steak, Wild Salmon, and Summer Vegetable Salad

Ingredients (for two):

• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, hulled, cut into 1/8ths
• 8-10 cherry or campari tomatoes, halved
• 12 baby carrots
• 3 cups organic spring mix
• 2-3 tblspn organic canola oil
• 1.5 tblspn extra virgin olive oil for salad, 1 tblspn for meat
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/16 tsp cumin, coriander, salt, pepper for salad
• 2 tsp salt, pepper, paprika for meat
• 2 steaks (your choice of size) or 2 fillets of wild salmon (King or Sockeye) or mix-’n-match proteins!

Process:

1. Heat grill pan (not press) on medium heat and drizzle in 1 tblspn canola oil. Once grill pan is hot, place vegetables in pan (depending on the size of your pan, you may need to do this in batches). Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper if desired. Flip over often, being sure to grill but not burn, getting as many grill marks as possible. Add extra canola oil as needed when the smoke becomes excessive. Set aside on a plate once complete (tender, soft but not falling apart by any means, and with char marks)
2. For meat, rub on paprika, salt, and pepper, then brush on olive oil and place on grill; then repeat rub and oil process for other side, and flip after 4-5 minutes (depending on how you’d like your steak to be cooked and how thick it is). For the fish, go with the same process or to let the salmon’s flavour speak for itself, skip the paprika and simply brush on the oil with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
3. Prepare dressing by mixing together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and spices; whisk together forefully to ensure the vinegar and oil mix. Pour over salad in a bowl and toss throughly.
4. To plate, place the salad on the plate first as bedding; then add the grilled vegetables; then the meat. If you’d like a sauce, I’d suggest a cold, white-based one :)

It’s very simple, but I believe that’s what this sort of dish is meant to do- celebrate the flavours brought out by the grilling and not adding too many extra aromas or flavours to the mix. It lets the vegetables and meat speak for themselves, and it’s a lovely sunset summer dish to enjoy with friends.

Last week was an exciting one: my coworker S’s girlfriend E was in town, which meant a night of boardgaming and nerding out was absolutely in order. S suggested we make this fantastic deep-dish spinach pizza (of which, as it was topped high with bell peppers, I have lengthened the name) and it turned out to be quite delicious, indeed. S and I joined E in preparing the dough around noon. After a few attempts to activate the yeast (tricky little thing) we finally got it right. A note on that: follow the yeast packet (if using packet yeast) for instructions regarding the amount of water, not the recipe. The original recipe called for so much water that the yeast was having trouble bubbling. S also deigned to use measuring cups and spoons, which are quite necessary for the exact nature of baking doughs!

E expertly kneaded the dough and supervised its rising during the afternoon. Then, later that evening, the boyfriend and I joined them and we together made the pizza: the boyfriend kneaded and rolled out the dough (using S’s high-tech rolling pin (the vodka bottle)); E handled the tomato sauce; I cooked the spinach and assembled; and S cut the vegetables and grated the cheeses. Three cheers for teamwork!

Deep-Dish Spinach & Bell Pepper Pizza

Following the Deep-Dish Spinach Pizza recipe from RecipeZaar

What really makes the taste of this so wonderful are, in my opinion, the fresh basil leaves. Rosemary, I know you’re commonly called the most fragrant herb, but I’ll take basil over you almost any day :)

Getting this out of the springform pan was a snap- using it makes this incredibly simple. I am tempted to make a flat, thin pizza (preferably Margherita, my favourite) but for deep-dish, you can’t beat the springform. The edges were a bit temperamental when cutting (cracked more easily than usual, S noted) but the taste was fantastic. And what’s quite surprising is that despite being very thin, the dough is very resilient- in fact, only half the dough is used in the recipe. The rest can be stored and used later, or will serve for making two pizzas at once (or perhaps covering it, making it an actual ‘pizza pie’?). Whatever you choose to do with the second half of the dough, this pizza is sure to please. Yum!

I know, I know, but trust me when I say this is the last panino recipe for some time! It was a beautiful sunny day, the boyfriend and I had no set plans other than cleaning, and suddenly it came to me: what a wonderful day for a picnic! I called to get his thoughts on the subject, and as it involved eating food, he naturally wasn’t opposed, and thus I set about making picnic food: panino and potato salad, put together a canteen of orange juice, package up a few cookies and berries, and we’re set! Ah, right, back to the panino…

This one has turkey in it, but the real ‘meat’ of this sandwich is the roasted red bell pepper. You can roast it yourself or get it in a can at the market- just make sure they’re large and whole so that you can get the full effect, rather than small pieces! Spinach and fresh mozz round out this sandwich to make it flavourful and delicious. And what’s that particular zesty taste? It’s a mix of my house-made shallot pesto + some oregano-basil tomato sauce! These all melded together to make an incredibly delicious picnic food.

Zesty Turkey Bell Pepper Panino

Ingredients (makes 1 panino):

Process:

The tomato sauce + pesto + roasted bell pepper makes this one a powerful punch of flavour, so be prepared for a bit of a kick! For an added burst,  add in 2 tsp (1 per side) of caramelized onions or shallots. Yum!

This recipe is one perfected under my mother’s wing. She is an expert at herb-baked vegetables. Tomatoes, carrots, and zucchini are her most oft-baked ones, though at times another variant can be seen at the dinner table. This dish utilizes the strength of tomato to intensify flavour and make for a fun way to make tomato pasta without the usual pastasauce standby. It’s a convenient do-ahead-er and can be eaten cold out of the fridge (though I find it far better when warm!)

Herb-Baked Tomato Trottole

Ingredients:

• 4 large vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced into 1/3-inch slices
• 1/2 box trottole pasta
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup herbs de provence (or mix of dried basil, oregano, parsley)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan or gruyere cheese
• sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Arrange tomato slices on a baking sheet flat and touching, with little space in between tomato slices. If any pulp falls outside of the slices, place back inside so that no pulp is outward-facing
3. Sprinkle herbs evenly over all tomatoes- feel free to add more herbs if you so desire! They’re fantastic, what’s not to like? Then sprinkle on salt and pepper.
4. Drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes evenly
5. Place baking sheet in oven (top rack) and immediately bring temperature down to 360 degrees F. Put on a timer for 20 minutes.
6. Boil water (quantity as directed on pasta box) with a pinch of salt and 1 tsp olive oil (to prevent sticking) for pasta
7. Once boiling, cook pasta as directed on package (I like mine to be a bit al dente, like the Italians). Set aside 1/4 cup of the pasta water, then drain pasta, rinse lightly, and place in a large bowl.
8. Check tomatoes. If the edges look crisp and darkened, remove from oven. If not, keep baking for another 5-10 minutes as necessary until edges become crispy.
9. Scoop baked tomatoes onto the pasta and toss. Sprinkle with cheese and season as needed, and voila! Simple, delicious pasta. Just don’t forget to turn off the oven :)

Yes, it’s very simple. But yes, it’s surpirisingly flavourful considering the few ingredients used. And you can substitute any kind of pasta for the trottole- I just happened to find the shape very amusing, and they were on sale. I’d suggest penne or rotini as the best alternatives, but try whatever you like!