Recipe #85: Gazpacho

Gazpacho
From Food Network's Barefoot Contessa

* 1 hothouse cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
* 2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
* 4 plum tomatoes
* 1 red onion
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 23 ounces tomato juice (3 cups)
* 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
* 1/4 cup good olive oil
* 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
* 1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not overprocess!

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 gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop.

Flank Steak, Broccoli Puree (Recipe #39), Roasted Brussels Sprouts (Recipe #40), and Cookie Cake (Recipe #41)

Pres is grilling flank steak, and I am making sides and a dessert. We have not eaten dinner yet, but I have tasted both veggies. I really liked both of them. I think both of the sides could be regular recipes.

Broccoli Puree
from Food Network's Giada DeLaurentiis

1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound broccoli florets
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fill a large pot with enough water to come 2 inches up the sides of the pot. Set a steamer rack in the pot, cover, and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the potato chunks and cook until they are very tender, about 18 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a medium bowl and mash until smooth.

Place broccoli into steamer rack and steam over medium heat until the broccoli is very tender, about 12 minutes. Transfer the broccoli to the bowl of a food processor. Add the broth, cream cheese, and Parmesan. Process until the broccoli is pureed and almost smooth.

Stir the broccoli puree into the mashed potato and blend well. Season the puree to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.



Roasted Brussels Sprouts
from Food Network's Ina Garten

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt ( I like these salty like French fries), and serve immediately.


Cookie Cake
from Food Network's Emeril Lagasse

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
Confectioners' sugar, for garnish
Sweetened cocoa, for garnish
Sweetened whipped cream, accompaniment


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 14-inch, light colored, round pizza pan with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Add the eggs, beating well after the addition of each.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix with a whisk. Add to the butter mixture, mixing to incorporate, and add the vanilla extract. Fold in the dark and white chips and the nuts. Spread across the bottom of the prepared pan and bake until the edges are golden and the cookie is set but the center is still slightly soft, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To serve, sift confectioners' sugar and sweetened cocoa over the top, and cut into wedges. Serve sweetened whipped cream on the side.

Recipe #30: Pasta Primavera

Pasta Primavera
from Food Network's Giada DeLaurentiis

3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 medium zucchini or 1 large zucchini, cut into thin strips
2 yellow squash, cut into thin strips
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs or herbes de Provence
1 pound farfalle (bowtie pasta)
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat. Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to another heavy large baking sheet and arrange evenly over the baking sheets. Bake until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixtures in a large bowl to combine. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.

Burgers with Lemon Aioli (Recipe #19) and Stuffed Peppers (Recipe #20)

We have a bunch of gorgonzola left over from our antipasto platter last week, so I wanted to have grilled blue cheese burgers tonight. While I was playing around on Food Network's website, I came across this recipe. We already have the ground sirloin, but I'd still like to try the lemon aioli to put on top of my burger stuffed with gorgonzola. Ever since I tried the yucca fries with aioli at Fuego in Atlanta, I have been wanting to try to make an aioli myself.

Recipe #19: Lemon Aioli
from Food Network's Emeril Lagasse


3 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch cayenne
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

With the back of a knife, mince the garlic, then crush. Gradually work the salt into the crushed garlic to make a paste. Place in a bowl. Whisk the eggs and lemon juice with the garlic paste and incorporate. Add the cayenne. Slowly whisk in the oil, a little at a time, until all the oil is incorporated and the mixture emulsifies.

Keep refrigerated until ready to use. (Use within 24 hours.)

Yield: about 1 cup

Recipe #20: Stuffed Peppers
from allrecipes.com

2 green bell peppers, halved and seeded
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium tomato - peeled, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
2 tablespoons white wine
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 8x11 inch glass baking dish.
In a pot of boiling water, cook the bell peppers for 4 to 5 minutes; until they begin to soften. Remove them from the boiling water and plunge them into a cold bath. Drain well.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and mix in the tomato, parsley, bread crumbs, white wine, and black pepper. Fill the peppers with this mixture and place them into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the peppers.
Bake for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Broiled Halibut, Gorgonzola Pasta (Recipe #6), and Golden-Crusted Brussels Sprouts (Recipe #7)

I have broiled halibut a few times before, so it does not count as one of my 156 new recipes. To make the halibut, I put the halibut in a cast iron skillet, cover it with pesto, and broil it for four minutes on each side.

Gorgonzola Pasta
from Cooking Light

Ingredients

1 slice day-old hearty white bread (such as Pepperidge Farm), torn
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 250°.

Place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 2/3 cup. Place breadcrumbs on a baking sheet. Bake at 250° for 30 minutes or until dry.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic, and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove garlic mixture from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Return pan to heat. Stir in breadcrumbs; cook 6 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring mixture frequently.

Cook the fettuccine according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Place fettuccine in a large bowl. Add the breadcrumb mixture, parsley, Gorgonzola, walnuts, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper; toss gently to combine. Serve immediately.

Golden-Crusted Brussels Sprouts
from 101Cookbooks.com

24 small brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing
fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated cheese of your choice

Wash the brussels sprouts well. Trim the stem ends and remove any raggy outer leaves. Cut in half from stem to top and gently rub each half with olive oil, keeping it intact (or if you are lazy just toss them in a bowl with a glug of olive oil).

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your largest skillet over medium heat. Don’t overheat the skillet, or the outsides of the brussels sprouts will cook too quickly. Place the brussels sprouts in the pan flat side down (single-layer), sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt, cover, and cook for roughly 5 minutes; the bottoms of the sprouts should only show a hint of browning. Cut into or taste one of the sprouts to gauge whether they’re tender throughout. If not, cover and cook for a few more minutes.

Once just tender, uncover, turn up the heat, and cook until the flat sides are deep brown and caramelized. Use a metal spatula to toss them once or twice to get some browning on the rounded side. Season with more salt, a few grinds of pepper, and a dusting of grated cheese. While you might be able to get away with keeping a platter of these warm in the oven for a few minutes, they are exponentially tastier if popped in your mouth immediately.

Shrimp Scampi (Recipe #4) and Roasted Asparagus (Recipe #5)

Recipe #4: Shrimp Scampi with Artichokes
From Ellie Krieger of Food Network

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
1 1/4 pounds large shrimp (about 20), peeled and deveined
1 (11-ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed, or 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained, and quartered
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots and cook, stirring until softened but not browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add shrimp, artichoke hearts, wine, and lemon juice and cook until the shrimp are cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the parsley, salt and pepper. Divide among 4 plates, garnish with additional parsley, and serve.



Recipe #5: Roasted Asparagus
From Food Network's Barefoot Contessa

2 pounds fresh asparagus
Good olive oil
Kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Break off the tough ends of the asparagus and, if they're thick, peel them. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, then toss to coat the asparagus completely. Spread the asparagus in a single layer and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast the asparagus for 25 minutes, until tender but still crisp.