Keepin' it Cool: Adobo Shrimp Cocktail

Here is a great light dinner for 2 from the August issue of Gourmet Magazine.

It was easy to prepare and tasted great on a hot day.

I skipped the celery, & used a pound of jumbo shrimp, but followed the rest of the ingredients to the letter!

Adobo Shrimp Cocktail:

3/4 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
1 celery rib, sliced
1 firm-ripe 6-to 8-ounces avocado, chopped
1 Kirby cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped white onion
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/4 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon adobo sauce from canned chipotles in adobo
2 tablespoons water



Cook shrimp in lightly salted boiling water until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes, then drain. Chill until cold, about 10 minutes.



Gently stir together remaining ingredients with 1/2 teaspoon salt, then stir in shrimp.



This was so delicious, next time I am doubling the recipe and serving it in small bowls for company.

Rustic Summer Fruit Galette

I am much better cooking without a recipe.
I jot down notes and ideas and then sometimes, just sometimes, it comes together!
Like this time!

This is not brain surgery. This is a very simple dessert in which you can use any fruit that you like.



I happen to have a lot of produce from the Jersey shore this week, so I used ripe plums, blueberries and a few figs (of course!) for good luck.

And here is that wonderful frozen puff pastry again that makes my life so much easier.

I put a little too much fruit inside the galette, so it was a bit too juicy, the juices seeped out and ran onto the baking sheet.

But once it cooled a bit, I was able to transfer it to a pie dish, where it firmed up and held together nice enough for slicing.

The 2 of us ate this whole thing in one sitting. It was that good!

Rustic Summer Fruit Galette:

1 frozen puff pastry sheet, defrosted
1 ripe plum, sliced thin (you can leave the peels on if you like)
1/2 cup of blueberries
2 ripe figs, sliced
(you can use peaches, apples, pears, or any fruit!)
fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar

In a bowl, mix the sliced fruit with the juice of a lemon.
Add 1/2 cup of sugar to the fruit and toss.



Roll out your puff pastry sheet just a little to make it free form shape.
Transfer to baking sheet.



Lay your fruit in the center and haphazardly fold your edges to close up the tart, leaving the middle open.



Brush the pastry with egg or water and sprinkle some sugar on the pastry and over the fruit for a bit of crunch.

Bake in a 400F oven for 20 minutes. Wait a few minutes for the tart to cool before transferring it to a platter or it will fall apart!



Enjoy the beautiful bounties of summer! I wish it would never end!

Cedar Plank Salmon...Oh Yeah!

I have never had much luck cooking fish on wooden planks on the grill, they've always caught fire and burned the fish.

This time was no different, the plank still caught fire, but for some reason the fish cooked PERFECTLY!
I was a good girl and soaked the board for the recommended 2 hours, but it still caught ablaze!



The coating on this fish was wonderful and the smell in our backyard was so nice.....cedar & rosemary.
I can't wait to try another fish on a plank! We loved this!

Cedar Plank Salmon (from Gourmet Magazine)

1 cedar plank (click here to buy planks on amazon.com)
2 lb. salmon filet, skin on (1 1/2" thick)

2 tbsp grainy mustard
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
zest of a lemon
salt & pepper

Soak your cedar plank submerged in water for 2 hours.

Prepare grill medium-high (my grill cooks too hot, so I kept it at medium-low).

Stir together the mustard, honey, rosemary, lemon zest and salt & pepper.
Spoon this mixture on the top of the salmon and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.



Remove plank from water and place salmon on wooden plank, skin side down and cook with grill lid down for 13-15 minutes.



Let salmon rest 5 minutes before serving.



DELICIOUS!

Potato, Cucumber & Dill Salad

Check out this great blog called Living Tastefully.

Not only is Eileen an antiques dealer/collector like me, she loves Paris (is there anyone who doesn't?), and cooks similarly to me, using all the season's fresh ingredients in her recipes.

Her recipes are simple and delicious and she serves a lot of her meals al fresco on her patio, like I do.

Last night, I made her lovely light potato salad with cucumbers and dill.
It has a mustard dressing instead of mayo, and it was easy to make ahead.

Try it, you'll like it!



Eileen's Potato Salad w/ Cucumber & Dill:

• 2 pounds baby red potatoes
• 3 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons country-style Dijon mustard
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
• 3/4 pound cucumbers, sliced (I used the small Persian cukes if you can find them)
• fresh dill sprigs, optional

Cook the potatoes in a pot of boiling water until just tender. Drain. Transfer to a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar to the hot potatoes and stir gently.



Combine remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar and mustard in a small bowl. Gradually mix in the oil. Add chopped dill and mix into the potatoes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. This can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before serving. Mix in cucumbers. Garnish with dill sprigs.



This was a nice change to my mayo and egg potato salad and I did not miss the calories!

Summer Squash Gratin w/ Salsa Verde & Gruyere

"If you don't have any zucchini, then you must not have any friends".
That said by my friend's Italian grandfather.

I guess I have no friends, because no one left me any of their crop on my front porch this summer!

Boo Hiss!

My sister had the biggest zucchini on her counter that I have ever seen, courtesy of her neighbor.
Around this time of year in New Jersey, everyone seems to have a ton of tomatoes and zucchini and they wind up giving it away!

I'LL TAKE IT!!!!!
Instead, I have to buy it weekly at the farm stand at the shore, along with local eggplant and tomatoes.

There are so many dishes to be made with summer squash, savory and sweet, the possibilities are endless.

Here is a terrific recipe from Suzanne Goin's Sunday Suppers at Lucques.



If you don't know it by now, Suzanne's recipes are an all day affair. They are not difficult, however, they are very time consuming with many steps.

I have never been disappointed for my efforts. The results have always been fantastic.



Summer Squash Gratin w/ Salsa Verde & Gruyere Cheese (adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques)

For the Salsa Verde: (Goin loves tapenades and homemade condiments)

1 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup mint leaves
1 tbsp of oregano leaves
1 garlic clove
1 anchovy
1 tbsp of capers
1/4 cup olive oil
squeeze of a lemon

Suzanne likes you to use a mortar & pestle. Well, I don't have one, so I gave it a quick whiz in my food processor, or you can hand chop if you like.
Should have the consistency of pesto.
Set aside.



Fresh Toasted Breadcrumbs:

I guess you could cheat and use panko crumbs, but since I was going thru the trouble of making the recipe, I figured don't be lazy.
In a food processor, throw in some stale baguette slices and pulse until crumbs form.



You will need 1.5 cups for the recipe.

In a frying pan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Toss your breadcrumbs with the butter for a few minutes, using a wooden spoon to move them around. They will start to brown and smell nutty. Set aside.



Squash Gratin Ingredients and Instructions:

about 2.5 lbs (about 4) of summer squash
kosher salt & pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp of fresh thyme
1 shallot, sliced
1/2 cup of salsa verde
1.5 cups of toasted breadcrumbs (divided)
1 cup of grated Gruyere cheese



Butter a large oval gratin dish. Preheat oven to 400F.

Slice your zucchini and yellow squash into 1/8" slices and sprinkle kosher salt over in a bowl to drain out moisture. Let rest 10 minutes.

Drain your zucchini of moisture and transfer to a large bowl. Mix squash slices with minced garlic, thyme, sliced shallots, HALF of the breadcrumbs (save the rest for the topping) and the salsa verde.

Now add the grated cheese and mix well.
Spread your squash mixture into buttered gratin dish and pour remaining toasted breadcrumbs on top.



Bake about 40 minutes until top is bubbling and brown.



LOOK AT THAT CRUSTY GOODNESS!



Maybe if I made this more often, I would have more friends..........

End of Summer Harvest: Basil Pesto

Summer is almost over, boo hoo.

I still have a lot of basil left in the garden, so I make pesto for the freezer for the leaner months that lie ahead.

It's simple and you don't have to stick to an exact recipe.

You can change the amount of cheese, oil, and nut measurements to suit your taste.
I also like to use walnuts sometimes instead of pine nuts to change it up.

I like my pesto thick like a paste, so I tend to use less oil than most. You can always add more oil before using it.



Basil Pesto Recipe:

2 cups of basil leaves
1/4 cup of pine nuts or walnuts
1/4-1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove
1/4-1/2 cup of olive oil

Process all ingredients in a food processor to desired consistency, then add oil at the end. You can also hand mix the oil in if you like.

Pesto freezes well in small air tight containers.

Here is a great way to use pesto for something other than pasta.

Stacey's Eggplant Pesto & Tomato Tarts: makes 6 individual tarts

6 Pepperidge Farm individual puff pastry shells, defrosted
grilled baby (Japanese or Italian) eggplant slices
crumbled goat cheese (or grated parmesan or mozzarella)
1-2 plum tomatoes sliced
a few dabs of basil pesto

Cut out the little top rounds of the puff pastry shells and discard.

Spoon a little pesto on the bottom of the pastry, then top with the cheese you are using.



Next layer some eggplant over the cheese, and top with a thin slice of Roma tomato.



Bake on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes at 400F.

The puff pastry shells will puff up and surround the filling making nice little puff pastry bowls for your filling.



Top with a dab of pesto and garnish with a basil leaf.

These are always a big hit!

Summer Lunchbox Collection

I was born a collector. It's in the genes.

Since I was a kid, I have been going to garage sales and estate sales even cutting school if there was a Friday sale, just to be able to get something old and beautiful.

I turned my love of antiques into a business and the rest is history......

No, I don't collect sandwiches, but I love them.
They are probably my favorite food of all time.
So many possibilities.
A good slice of bread is like an empty canvas waiting to be painted.

Here is a collection of weekly sandwiches for my husband's lunchbox.

Fresh figs with prosciutto and brie....................


Delicious oil packed Italian tuna on top of sliced hard boiled eggs, shaved red onions and caper mayonnaise (my favorite).


Delicious fresh mozzarella with arugula, pesto and roasted peppers on ciabatta....


Check out this great site on just sandwiches, I get hungry everytime I look at it!
I Love Sandwiches.

What's in your lunchbox?

Simply Tomato Pie

I have made a lot of tomato tarts this year.

Elra's delicious ricotta tomato tart in puff pastry and my easy French tomato tart w/ Gruyere and mustard.

However, I have always wanted to try this Southern style tomato pie with mayo and cheddar cheese.

Elise posted this recipe and someone wrote in her comment section "can I skip the mayo? I am on a diet."
Her answer was "nope, mayo is an important ingredient in this recipe".

Good answer.
If you are on a diet, then save this one for when you can spare the calories because this is rich!!!!

I made a few minor changes to Elise's recipe.
I used a little less mayo and I sauteed the onions instead of throwing them in raw.



Tomato Pie (adapted from Simply Recipes):

~ one 9-inch pie shell (I made my own pastry from Simply Recipes)

~ 2 small yellow onions, sliced
~ 3-4 tomatoes, cut in half horizontally, squeezed to remove excess juice, roughly chopped, to yield approximately 3 cups chopped tomatoes (*I used plum tomatoes, since they have a lower moisture content)
~ 1/4 cup sliced basil
~ 2 cups grated cheese (combination of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack, or Gruyere or Mozzarella)
~ 1/2 cup Hellman's REAL mayonnaise (original recipe calls for 3/4 cup)
~ 1 teaspoon (or more to taste) of Frank's Hot Sauce (or Tabasco)
~ salt and freshly ground black pepper



Preheat oven to 350°F.
Roll your pie crust out and fit into a 9" glass pie dish.
(Make sure you are working with cold dough or freeze it for a few minutes before baking).
Bake for 10 minutes until the crust is turning a light golden color.

While your pie crust is baking, saute the onions in a little olive oil until translucent. Set aside.

Squeeze as much moisture as you can out of the chopped tomatoes, using either paper towels, a clean dish towel, or a potato ricer.
*(Since I used plum tomatoes, I skipped this step, because they have a low moisture content).

Sprinkle the bottom of the pre-cooked pie shell with the cooked onions. Spread the chopped tomatoes over the onions. Sprinkle the sliced basil over the tomatoes.



In a medium bowl, mix together the grated cheese, mayonnaise, Tabasco, a sprinkling of salt and freshly ground black pepper. The mixture should be the consistency of a gooey snow ball. Spread the cheese mixture over the tomatoes.



Place in oven and bake until browned and bubbly, anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes.



This was a little rich for my blood, but I skipped dessert and went right for a second slice!