Caponata Picnic Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• Salt
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1(14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon drained capers
• 1 loaf ciabatta bread, cut crosswise into 6 equal pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 6 slices (1/3-inch-thick) drained fresh water-packed mozzarella

Directions

Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and saute until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Add the eggplant and saute until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Season with salt. Add the red pepper and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes with their juices, raisins, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer over medium-low heat until the flavors blend and the mixture thickens, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Add the vinegar, sugar, and capers. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Cut the bread pieces horizontally in half. Grill the bread cut-side down on a grill pan over medium-high heat until golden, about 2 minutes. Rub the whole garlic cloves over the toasted side of the bread. Add a slice of mozzarella to bread bottom, spoon the caponata on top, cover with the other bread half, and serve.

To take for a picnic: Wrap the sandwiches separately in plastic wrap or parchment paper. Chill until ready to serve, or keep at room temperature up to 1 hour.

Gorgonzola Pasta

Ingredients

60g fresh tagliatelle
150ml chicken stock
100ml cream
30g Gorgonzola cheese
¼ lemon
7g rocket
1tsp parsley
2 slices white bread,
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 button mushrooms
Olive oil

Preparation

1. Reduce the stock with ½ clove of garlic by about 2/3 or until sticky.

2. Add the cream, then bring to the boil to thicken.

3. Add 2 drops of lemon juice and the mushrooms.

4. Bring to the boil and remove from the heat.

5. Stir in the Gorgonzola.

6. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water with olive oil.

7. Strain the pasta; add it to the sauce and sprinkle with parsley.

8. Whizz the bread in a food processor to give breadcrumbs.

9. Fry these with olive oil and the remaining garlic until golden.

10. Use these to cover the pasta.

Broccoli and Stilton Soup

Ingredients

2 Tb olive oil - vegetable oil is fine
1 1/2 Tb minced garlic
2 lbs fresh broccoli - chopped
1 medium onion - minced
2 tsp thyme - I used dried thyme
5 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup crumbled Stilton cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a stock pot on medium heat. Quickly saute minced garlic, add onions and saute for 5 minutes. Don't let the garlic burn as it will turn bitter. Add chopped broccoli and thyme to the pot. I peeled the tough broccoli stalk, chopped it up as well and added it to the pot. It cooks through and will not be stringy. Let it cook for another 3-4 minutes or so and add vegetable stock and crumbled creamy Stilton cheese. Bring the soup to a bubble and boil with the lid on the pot for 7 minutes. The broccoli should be cooked by now. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Turn off heat.

The next step is crucial as you could end up scalding yourself if you are not careful. I am speaking from experience as I have been a victim of hot soup. Let the soup cool down a bit before you puree it in a blender or food processor. Immersion blender would work like a charm here because all the ingredients have been chopped up into small pieces.

English Onion Soup

Ingredients

• A good knob of butter
• Olive oil
• A good handful of fresh sage leaves, 8 leaves reserved for serving
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 5 red onions, peeled and sliced
• 3 large white onions, peeled and sliced
• 3 banana shallots, peeled and sliced
• 300g of leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 litres of good-quality hot beef, chicken or vegetable stock
• 8 slices of good-quality stale bread, 2cm thick
• 200g freshly grated cheddar cheese
• Worcestershire sauce

Method: How to make English onion soup with sage and cheddar

1. Put the butter, 2 glugs of olive oil, the sage and garlic into a thick-bottomed, non-stick pan. Stir everything round and add the onions, shallots and leeks. Season with salt and pepper. Place a lid on the pan, leaving it slightly ajar, and cook slowly for 50 minutes, without colouring the vegetables too much. Remove the lid for the last 20 minutes - your onions will become soft and golden. Stir occasionally so that nothing catches on the bottom. Having the patience to cook the onions slowly, slowly, gives you an incredible sweetness and an awesome flavour, so don't be tempted to speed this bit up.

2. When your onions and leeks are lovely and silky, add the stock. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. You can skim any fat off the surface if you like, but I prefer to leave it because it adds good flavour.

3. Preheat the oven or grill to maximum. Toast your bread on both sides. Correct the seasoning of the soup. When it's perfect, ladle it into individual heatproof serving bowls and place them on a baking tray. Tear toasted bread over each bowl to fit it like a lid. Feel free to push and dunk the bread into the soup a bit. Sprinkle with some grated Cheddar and drizzle over a little Worcestershire sauce.

4. Dress your reserved sage leaves with some olive oil and place one on top of each slice of bread. Put the baking tray into the preheated oven or under the grill to melt the cheese until bubbling and golden. Keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't burn! When the cheese is bubbling, very carefully lift out the tray and carry it to the table.
Enjoy!

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Ingredients

• 50g butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 medium cauliflowers, broken into florets
• 1 large baking potato, cut into chunks
• 900ml chicken stock, hot
• 142ml carton single cream
• 100g mature Cheddar, grated
• 125g Gruyère, grated
• Handful roughly chopped fresh flatleaf parsley, to garnish

Method: How to make cauliflower cheese soup

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until softened. Add half the cauliflower florets and all the potato and the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 20 minutes, until very soft. Cool slightly.

2. Meanwhile, blanch the remaining cauliflower in boiling salted water for about 6 minutes or until just tender. Drain, refresh under cold running water and drain again very well.

3. Whizz the soup, in batches, in a food processor or blender until smooth. Return to the rinsed-out saucepan. Add the cream and season to taste, then gently reheat, until hot but not boiling. Add the blanched cauliflower and heat through.

4. Preheat the grill to high. Ladle the soup into 4 flameproof bowls. Mix the cheeses together and scatter over the soup. Stand the bowls on a baking tray and grill for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese has melted and is turning golden. Scatter with the parsley to serve. Take care when handling the hot bowls.

Potato, Leek and Ham Gratin

Ingredients

• 8 large peeled Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 2 3/4 pounds)
• Cooking spray
• 4 cups thinly sliced leek (about 4 large)
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Dash of ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups 1% low-fat milk
• 3 cups diced 33%-less-sodium ham (about 3/4 pound)
• 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Place potatoes in a Dutch oven, and cover with water. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Drain; set aside.

Heat pan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add leek and oil, stirring to coat leek. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until the leek is tender. Remove from pan; set aside.

Add broth, mustard, pepper, and nutmeg to pan, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour in a medium bowl; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk to form a slurry. Add slurry to broth mixture, stirring to combine; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly.

Pour 1 cup milk mixture into bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; arrange 2 1/3 cups potatoes over milk mixture. Top potatoes with 1 1/2 cups ham and 1 cup leek; sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat layers once, ending with cheese, and top with remaining potatoes. Pour the remaining milk mixture over potatoes; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Roman Style Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 skinless chicken breast halves, with ribs
• 2 skinless chicken thighs, with bones
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 3 ounces prosciutto, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Smoked Salmon BLT

Ingredients

• 4 slices thick cut bacon
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill leaves
• 8 (1/2-inch thick) slices multigrain bread
• 6 ounces smoked salmon
• 1 cup arugula, divided
• 2 large or 3 medium tomatoes, sliced

Directions

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove from the skillet and drain on paper towels.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon zest, lemon juice, and fresh dill. Spread the lemon mayonnaise over 1 side of each slice of bread. Arrange the smoked salmon on 4 slices of the bread. Break the bacon in half and put on top of the smoked salmon. Top the bacon with 1/2 cup of arugula and arrange 2 to 3 tomato slices on top of the arugula. Cover with remaining slices of bread, lemon mayonnaise side down.

Arrange the sandwiches on a platter and serve

Fusilli with Tuna & Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1 pound fusilli
• 1 (26-ounce) jar Simple Tomato Sauce, or other purchased marinara sauce
• 2 (6-ounces each) cans albacore tuna packed in oil, drained
• 1 tablespoon drained capers
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the tomato sauce, tuna, capers, and lemon peel in a heavy large skillet. Using a fork, break the tuna into chunks. Simmer to blend the flavors, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Toss the pasta with enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Stir in the parsley and serve.

Shrimp Fra Diavolo

Ingredients

• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus additional as needed
• 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 3 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 3 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and red pepper flakes. Heat the 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and saute for about a minute, toss, and continue cooking until just cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a large plate; set aside. Add the onion to the same skillet, adding 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan, if necessary, and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, wine, garlic, and oregano. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Return the shrimp and any accumulated juices to the tomato mixture; toss to coat, and cook for about a minute so the flavors meld together. Stir in the parsley and basil. Season with more salt, to taste, and serve.

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 (3-ounces each) chicken cutlets
• 1 1/2 cups Marinara Sauce,
  
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 16 teaspoons grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Stir the oil and herbs in a small bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Brush both sides of the cutlets with the herb oil. Heat a heavy large oven-proof skillet over high heat. Add the cutlets and cook just until brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Spoon the marinara sauce over and around the cutlets. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of mozzarella over each cutlet, then sprinkle 2 teaspoons of Parmesan over each. Sprinkle the butter pieces atop the cutlets. Bake until the cheese melts and the chicken is cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes.