Arugula Pesto

• 6 oz. Arugula (about 4 cups)
• ¼ cup Olive Oil
• ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
• Kosher Salt & Black Pepper

1. Combine Arugula and cheese with a little salt & pepper in a food processor and pulse until almost smooth.
2. With machine running, steam in the olive oil and season to taste with salt & pepper.

Grilled Avocado & Tomato Salad with Arugula Pesto

• 2 Lemons
• 2 Avocados, (choose firm ones)
• ½ Medium Red Onion, sliced thin
• 1 pound Heirloom Tomatoes
• Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Arugula Pesto (preferably home-made, without Pine Nuts)
• Toasted Pine Nuts (optional garnish)

1. Preheat Grill to medium-high heat
2. Using a zester or microplane, remove the zest from one of the lemons and reserve.  Juice both lemons into a mixing bowl large enough to hold the avocados.   Halve the avocados and remove the pit.  Use a large spoon to remove the flesh and immediately toss in the lemon juice to prevent discoloration.
3. Slice tomatoes into long thin wedges.  Season with salt & pepper and reserve.
4. In another bowl, combine the sliced onion with about 1 Tbsp of the lemon juice from the avocados.  Season with salt & pepper and toss well to coat.  Reserve
5. Remove the avocados from the lemon juice  and season with salt,  pepper, and a thin coating of olive oil (to prevent sticking – but too much will flare-up on the grill)
6. Place the avocados cut side down on the grill and cook about 2 minutes (until edges begin to brown), then turn over and cook 2 minutes more.  This is to soften and flavor the avocados, not cook them – so be careful about over-manipulating them or they will break down.  Return grilled avocados to the lemon juice bowl and spoon juice over them to coat.
7. Once cool enough to handle, slice avocado into thin wedges.
8. To serve, place avocado and tomatoes on alternating sides of the plate, and top with some of the onions.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil, and top with 1 tsp. of the Arugula Pesto.  (You may want to taste each component before serving and adjust seasonings)  Add toasted pine nuts, if desired.

Watermelon-Cucumber Gazpacho with Cabernet Reduction and Smoked Sea Salt

This is a refreshing take on a summer classic.  It’s great for healthy dining, easy entertaining, and just a great soup.

 (Picture to come)

• 8 lbs. Seedless Watermelon
• 5 cloves Garlic
• ½ Red Onion
• ½ Jalapeno Pepper
• ½ Serrano Pepper
• ½ Red Bell Pepper
• ½ Yellow Bell Pepper
• ¼ – ½ Seedless (English) Cucumber
• 15 Mint Leaves
• 1.5 fl.oz. Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
• ½ – ¾ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Garnishes:

• Feta Cheese, crumbled
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Smoked Sea Salt
• Cabernet Reduction (1 bottle of Cabernet and ½ cup sugar, reduced to 1 cup)

1. Peel & cut the watermelon into 1” cubes.  Cut about 4 oz. of the melon into small dice and reserve.
2. Small dice about ¼ of the onion and reserve.  The rest can be chopped.
3. Seed the cucumber (reserving the pulpy center) and cut about ¼ of it into small dice and reserve.  Chop the rest.
4. Seed all of the peppers.  Cut ¼ of each into small dice, and reserve.  Chop the rest.
5. Mix all of the reserved pieces of peppers, cucumber, onion, and watermelon in a separate bowl and chill until ready to serve (this is your garnish)
6. In a blender, combine vinegar with about half of the sugar, the cucumber seed pulp, along with the chopped ingredients, and about ¾ of the mint (you may need to do this in batches).  Blend until smooth, streaming in olive oil as you go to help thicken the soup.  Taste after blended and season with salt, pepper, and more sugar (if needed)
7. Chill well and season to taste.
8. To Serve: Place some of the mixed diced vegetables in a bowl/glass and ladle the soup over.  Drizzle some of the Cabernet Syrup over the soup.  Chiffonade the remaining mint and sprinkle over the soup.  Crumble on some of the feta cheese and then drizzle with a touch of the olive oil.  Finish with a light sprinkle of the smoked sea salt just before serving. Serve while still very cold.

Pasta e Fagioli con Salcicce

WannaBChef's Pasta e Fagioli con Salcicce

I decided to make my own version of this classic Italian dish…and since Steve doesn’t like soups that are too brothy, I pureed some of the beans and cooked the pasta right in the soup – which helped thicken it up!

• Olive Oil
• 1 lb. Bulk Hot Italian Sausage
• 1 medium Yellow Onion, diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. Crushed Red Chile Flakes
• 1 Tbsp. fresh Rosemary, minced
• 1 Tbsp. fresh Thyme
• 2 cans White Cannelini Beans, drained and rinsed
• Roasted Tomatoes (see below), chopped
• 1 cup Red Wine (I used Cab. Sav.)
• 2.5 quarts Chicken Stock
• 6-8 oz. Ditalini Pasta
• 2 Tbsp. Basil, chiffonade
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• Basil & Grated Parmesan or Asiago Cheese for Garnish

1. Heat a heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat.  Add 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil and then add sausage, breaking it up into bite-sized pieces with a spoon.  Stir until browned, then remove from pot and reserve.
2. Add 1-2 Tbsp. Olive Oil more, and sauté the garlic, onion, and chile flakes for 3 minutes.
3. Add in Cannelini Beans, Roasted Tomatoes, rosemary , and thyme.  Stir well to combine. Sauté 2 minutes.
4. Deglaze the pan by CAREFULLY adding in the red wine, and using a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan.  Reduce to about 1 ounce of liquid, stirring frequently.
5. Add in the chicken stock and stir well to combine.  Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.  Using a stick blender, pureé some of the soup to help thicken it up.  Return cooked sausage to pot.
6. Stir in pasta and cook for about 7 minutes (subtract 1 minute from package directions al dente cooking time).
7. Reduce heat to a simmer, and season to taste with Salt & Pepper.
8. Just before serving, stir in basil.  Add more basil to the top and grated Parmesan if you like before serving.

If you’d like the soup more broth-y, you can skip pureeing the soup.  Also, you can cook the pasta separately and add it in just before the basil, just before serving (just be sure to cook the pasta according to package directions, then run under cold water to stop the cooking process).

Roasted Tomatoes

• 8 Roma Tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 16 pieces fresh Thyme, about the size of the tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp Garlic, minced
• Olive Oil & Black Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Place the tomato halves, cut side up, on a sheetpan and drizzle with olive oil.
3. Sprinkle some of the minced garlic on each half.  Top with a piece of Thyme sprig.
4. Roast in 400°F oven for about 1 hour, until the omatoes atart to brown.
5. When cooled, cut each half into bite-sized pieces, about 6 pieces per half.