Basil Pesto Spread

     TinyRedKitchen.blogspot.com

I made an amazing cous cous salad last night… BUT I was too lazy to get my camera out of the car. I know, I know.. lazy.

Soo... I have no pictures, which means I’ll wait to make it again before sharing the recipe. What is a recipe nowadays without pictures??? Weird. I was thinking about this the other day... I can’t seem to buy a cookbook unless it has at least one image per recipe! Is this wrong??

Anyway… I don’t have cous cous salad for you, but I did have LOTS OF LEFT OVER BASIL…
which would have gone bad, had I not used it tonight.

When I think basil, two main recipes come to mind, pesto and bruschetta. Surprisingly, instead of having regular stuff like tomatoes, I had pine nuts and fresh grated parmesan. So I went with the pesto. Before I go on, I have to ask, why on earth are pine nuts so expensive?? I bought a tiny 1-oz. container for $8!! Thankfully after getting ripped off twice, I found a giant 4 and a half cup bag at Costco for $14!! Which is why I will never run out :-)


(You will need about 2 tablespoons for this recipe, toasted)

I’ve made pesto a couple of times. Once for a baked brie and a few times for pasta. And usually a quarter of it never makes it to the final dish... simply because it tastes so amazing on its own. As a simple spread on a crusty European style baguette.

I use a mortar and pestle since I like the chunky texture, but a food processor is quicker if you are making large quantities. I always start off by grinding the garlic, having first cut it in half. The garlic is the strongest of the ingredients and should be very well crushed. Then I alternate between all the other ingredients. Some basil leaves, sea salt & pepper (which help grind the basil), parmesan, pine nuts, more basil, olive oil and... so on and so on. 

Make sure to taste the pesto throughout the grinding process. (please do not taste the garlic on it's own...) I start tasting once I've added some salt and cheese... that's when it starts to get good. But you'll notice the changes in flavor as you add each ingredient and you'll notice that each plays an important role. The toasted pine nuts are a must... they make a huge difference. Don't bother making this if you don't have them!! ... (ok, I'm being drastic) but seriously... at least substitute with another kind of nut... I've heard toasted pecans work well.

Once all the ingredients are well-blended and have formed a paste-like spread... you are finished. I'm sure you are hungry by now. I am.

Give this one a shot. Easy enough...

Yes, it does taste as good as it looks. Maybe even better.

Basil Pesto Spread

     yields about 1/2 cup of spread (enough for 2 to 3 people to enjoy as an appetizer on baguette)

1 clove of garlic
1/3 cup of fresh grated parmesan
1 1/2 cups of basil leaves
1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup of olive oil
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste (if it is not salted well, it will not taste great... so make sure you salt and taste)

Heat pine nuts in a pan on medium heat until golden. (No oil or butter necessary.) They tend to burn when you least expect it, so keep an eye on them. Cut garlic clove in half lengthwise and begin to grind using a mortar and pestle until there are no large pieces. The garlic is the strongest of the ingredients and should be very well crushed. Add part of the basil leaves to the garlic, along with some sea salt and pepper and grind to a coarse paste. Add part of the parmesan and pine nuts and continue to grind. Add part of the olive oil and more basil leaves. Continue grinding. Keep this process going until all ingredients have been added, and are ground and well blended. Spread on a crusty baguette and enjoy!

Stuffed Bell Peppers (like my grandmother used to make)

I've had such a craving for stuffed peppers. Beautiful colorful bell peppers stuffed with juicy ground beef, rice and maybe some kind of cheese to top it off. You wouldn't believe it, but I've actually never tried one, which makes my craving sort of strange. I do, however, have memories of my grandmother making them when I was very young. At least 20 years ago. Of course I was too young to appreciate them then. (I remember thinking i could never eat them.) But somehow, I never forgot their scent... that wonderful smell as they were taken out of the oven. The sweetness of the peppers. The savory juiciness of the ground beef, flavored with capers and cumin. 

My grandmother (my dad's mom) was Catalan, but I don't know whether hers was a spanish dish. In fact, I think most countries have some version of a stuffed pepper with different stuffings and sauces that make it their own.

Anyway, I decided to make my own rendition... as I remember they might have tasted. These are so delicious. Sweet, savory, and extremely comforting. 

The beef is made with tomatoes, onions, garlic, parsley, raisins, capers, cumin, salt and fresh ground pepper. 

If you're like me, you taste things as you make them. Well, believe me, this beef is so good, you will be tasting constantly. (I couldn't stop).

I'm sure it would also taste great in stuffed eggplant. (I plan on making that soon too.)

The rice I used to stuff the peppers is one of my favorite recipes, which started off as an experiment (like most things I make). It normally turns out creamy like a risotto of sorts, but once roasted in the oven with the peppers, this version will be much dryer.

I use very short grain rice packed with herbs and veggies for incredible flavor. Ground turmeric gives it a vibrant yellow color.

Once the beef and rice are ready, I brush the peppers with olive oil, sprinkle them with salt and pepper and let them broil in the oven for 15 minutes.

Once out of the oven, I fill them first with the beef, then the rice, and top them off with fresh grated parmesan. 

Then back into the oven they go, on broil, for about 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden. Sooo good. The raisins and capers in the beef bring out the sweetness of the peppers, making this dish incredible. The cheese does wonders too. You must try this one...

Stuffed Bell Peppers

          4 bell peppers, cut in half through the stem, washed, seeds removed

          1/2 cup of fresh grated parmesan cheese for topping

          

          For the rice:

          2 cups of short grain rice

          1/2 cup chopped red onion

          1 cup of chopped parsley

          1 cup of chopped cilantro

          1/2 cup chopped tomato

          1/2 stick of salted butter

          4 tablespoons of olive oil          

          2 tbsps of ground tumeric

          4 1/2 cups of water

          Salt & Pepper to taste (make sure it is well-salted)

          

          For the beef:

          1.5 pound of ground beef

          3 cloves of garlic, chopped

          1/2 cup chopped red onion

          1/2 cup of chopped parsley

          4 tablespoons of capers 

          1/2 cup of raisins

          1 tablespoon of ground cumin

          4 tablespoons of olive oil

          Salt & Pepper to taste (make sure it is well-salted)

Wash bell peppers and cut in half through the stem. Remove seeds and insides. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper. Set aside until beef and rice are ready.

To make the beef: sautee onion and parsley in olive oil until onion is tranlustent, then add garlic and a good amount of salt and pepper to taste. Sautee for 2 minutes and add beef and cumin. Once beef is almost cooked, add raisins and capers. Allow to cook for 10 more minutes so that the flavors are well blended. 

To make the rice: sautee onion, tomato and tumeric in olive oil until onion is tranlustent then add butter, cilantro, parsley and a good amount of salt and pepper to taste. Once all of the vegetables and herbs are soft, add water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add rice and allow to cook uncovered until rice has absorbed the water.

Place empty peppers on a baking sheet (they were previously brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt & pepper) and broil them in the oven for about 15 minutes or until edges start to brown. Once out of the oven, fill the pepper halves first with beef and then rice. Top off with grated parmesan cheese and broil in the oven once again for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden.

Blue, red & yellow mini potatoes w/cheesy, herbed cream sauce

Since yesterday was the first day of Hanukkah, I thought I’d make latkes and salmon. By the time I got home, I realized (a) I didn’t have the right kind of potato and (b) I didn’t have any sour cream (or apple sauce – which I heard works great too). Lame excuse, I know, but I really can’t enjoy a latke without tons of sour cream on top. (Yes – I’m a sucker for toppings.)

Ok … so maybe these potatoes might have worked. The cutest assorted mini potatoes - blue, red, yellow… really cute.  But honestly, I just didn’t feel like shredding them (lazy, I know). And of course - the sour cream dilemma. 

Soo… I thought of the next best thing:  an incredibly creamy, cheesy sauce…, which never fails to make me feel great. What on earth goes better with potatoes, if not BUTTER…. CHEESE and HEAVY CREAM... oh and some white wine. I can’t think of anything, can you? 

Anyway, I was right. It was amazing. You need to make this. Seriously… so good. And it looks great too. Oh and it is easier than easy to make.

mmm, save some sauce for later. I could eat this by the spoonful. Seriously.

Blue, red & yellow mini potatoes w/cheesy, herbed cream sauce

     (makes 4 side dish portions)

8 to 10 small potatoes - use assorted colors if you want them to contrast with the cream sauce

½ a stick of salted butter

½ cup of heavy cream

½ cup of your favorite white wine – any white cooking wine will do

½ cup of your favorite shredded Italian cheese(s)  - I used a bagged shredded 6 cheese Italian blend, which had mozzarella, parmesan, Provolone, Fontina, Romano and aged Asiago, but fresh mozzarella and parmesan would have been delicious too – if I had them on hand

1 tbsp of dried Italian herb blend (dried oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme & sage) – plus more to sprinkle on top later

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring salted water to a boil (taste water and make sure there is enough salt, otherwise the potatoes will be very bland). Add potatoes and boil until just cooked through, but not falling apart. Remove from pot and cut potatoes in half or quarters. In the same pot, after discarding the water, heat the butter and herbs. Add wine and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Add cheese. Once melted, add heavy cream and salt & pepper to taste. Stir and let simmer for about 5 minutes so that flavors are blended. Remove from heat. Add potatoes to sauce and sprinkle with remaining herbs.

Lemon-Pepper salmon with dried rosemary

Now let’s talk about salmon...

I’ll start by saying I know very little about cooking salmon perfectly… especially in the oven.  Don’t get me wrong, it was totally flavorful, but a bit overdone. I suggest you keep an eye on it, especially if the pieces are small like mine were. 

This is the simplest way to make salmon… so easy, I almost forgot it was in the oven J

Lemon-Pepper salmon with dried rosemary

     (serves 4)

6 small pieces of salmon

2 tbsp of olive oil

2 tbsp of butter

salt & fresh ground pepper

juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp of dried rosemary (plus more to sprinkle on top later)

   

Place all ingredients in an oven-proof dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove foil and broil on high for a couple minutes until golden. Keep an eye on them!!!