Caprese Salad

I love Caprese salad. Don't let the fancy-sounding name fool you: it's one of the easiest and most delicious things you'll make all summer. I brought Lindsey some basil from my overflowing plant yesterday, and she put me to work creating this masterpiece that I think both Ina AND Giada would approve of:



I had a little too much fun being a food stylist yesterday, if you can't tell...

Here's how you make this basic LBDelicious summer staple.

Ingredients:
fresh tomatoes, your choice of variety
fresh mozzarella (either in water or vacuum-packed in plastic... just don't even bother if you're using shredded)
fresh basil leaves
salt & pepper
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar

Slice up tomatoes so they're about 1/2" pieces. Slice mozzarella in a similar way. Make sure your basil is rinsed and patted dry. Arrange tomatoes on a plate, top with the mozzarella, then the basil, then lightly drizzle the oil and vinegar over the salad. Top with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

There are a few variations that you may want to try out, like my particular favorite: Caprese sandwich. Yummmmy. One of Team Dawmilam's favorite memories centers on this sandwich, and is from the day that I moved to Lexington. We happened upon the Lexington Farmer's Market downtown, and we purchased some delicious tomatoes and basil. I think I ran to Kroger to get the remainder of the ingredients, and we made ourselves a tomato, basil, and mozzarella sandwich topped with the oil and balsamic combo (let it get all nice and soaked in the bread before you assemble the sandwich... yum!). We devoured those sandwiches and felt nice and refreshed for the big move, and also felt like it was the best sandwich either of us has ever eaten. To this day, I sometimes think about just how good that sandwich tasted! And, I often recreate it at home in the summer. French bread is really the key ingredient there.

Having a party? Make Caprese skewers! Purchase bocconcini, which is fresh mozzarella just in little balls (usually purchased in water), and grape tomatoes. Skewer the tomatoes and mozzarella balls, set aside. Make a dressing out of the balsamic and oil (whisk together briskly in whatever portion you think tastes good, with salt and pepper), and drizzle the dressing over the skewers. Top with the basil, after it's been chopped finely (the dressing will help the basil stick to the other ingredients. Want a heartier appetizer? Dice up that leftover French bread and put a piece of it on each skewer!

See? I love Caprese salad. It's fresh, healthy, delicious, and one of my favorite things about summer. I hope you make it and enjoy it as much as I do.

Pasta with Vodka Cream Sauce, Cherry Tomatoes & Peas

I had no idea what to make for dinner tonight. I was leaning towards pasta, but didn't want fettucini alfredo (too heavy), and didn't want just plan olive oil/sauteed onion sauce. I kind of walked in circles around the kitchen for a while, and then it hit me.

I have made this Rachael Ray vodka cream pasta for a long time; it was one of Rose's favorites, and is also something I enjoy, especially when I want some super fast and yummy pasta. But, after perusing my copy of The Silver Spoon, which is an Italian Bible of recipes (and includes directions on how to prepare things I may not ever be brave enough to eat, like tongue), I found another, better, tastier (albeit more fattening) way to make vodka cream pasta. It involves no crushed tomatoes, as Rachael's does, but instead uses tomato paste.

Here's a little improvement that I created tonight on the Silver Spoon vodka sauce: I added peas, fresh sliced cherry tomatoes (straight from Christy's garden, yummmmmtastic), and lots more butter. To quote Ina, how bad could that be? The answer: not bad at all.

penne pasta
salt & pepper
dried Italian seasoning
1/2 white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
extra virgin olive oil
butter
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup vodka
1/2 cup chicken stock
heavy cream (maybe 3/4 cup?)
frozen peas
cherry tomatoes, sliced (optional)
fresh parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil; salt generously, and add penne. Cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat about 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Sautee onion, garlic, salt & pepper, and Italian seasonings until onions are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add tomato paste, start to work/melt into the onion. Add vodka, combine well. Cook until liquid reduces by half, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock, salt & pepper again to taste. Simmer gently, reducing heat. Add cream, stir. Add pats of butter to your heart's content, slowly stirring or whisking in each time. As soon as you're ready to add the pasta to the sauce (which is, at my house, as soon as it's done) throw in the frozen peas and tomatoes. Stir, simmer for about 3 minutes so that the pasta absorbs some of the sauce. Plate up, top with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy.

Feeling Frenchy? Tomato Bisque, Crusty Bread and Balsamic Dipping Sauce

It's 45 minutes until I have to leave to go to the airport. I'm on my way to what I hear is a lovely Lake Michigan beach for the roommate's bachelorette par-tay. So, to kill time, I can work on the proposal, or blog.

Blog it is!

Two nights ago, I was craving bistro-esque food. Not that I have ever been to a French bistro, mind you; I've only seen them on television and I think I would probably enjoy dining at such an establishment. After my trip to Harry's (the first one I've made all summer!), I was really craving something gourmet yet non-pretentious. And, it's hot outside, so light suppers have been sounding better and better. I whipped up a delicious and perfect menu:

Tomato Bisque
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 28 oz can tomatoes, chopped (or whole or diced but pureed in the food processor)
1/4 cup white wine (anything drinkable will work, I used Pinot Grigio, which is my favorite and a fridge staple)
3/4 cup low sodium chicken stock (use veggie stock if you don't eat meat)
1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream
generous amounts of salt and pepper
1 tsp freshly chopped thyme
2 Tablespoons freshly chopped basil
small chunks of fresh, authentic parmesan cheese, optional (if you're planning on using the stuff out of the green plastic can, then just don't even bother)

In a large soup pot, heat butter and oil together. Sautee shallot, thyme and garlic along with salt and pepper to taste until cooked through, only about 4 minutes. Add in wine, simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add in chicken stock and tomatoes, salt and pepper generously. Bring to a slow simmer, heat for at least 20 minutes on low to medium low. At the very last minute, before serving, stir in the cream and basil. If you have fresh parm on hand and eat it by the handful like I do, toss some chunks into the soup right before serving, so you get melty-gooey-cheese bits in the soup.

Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
bag of salad, your choice of greens
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar, the more expensive, the better (though I used a nice mid-range brand that wasn't the cheapest or most expensive and it was amazing)
2 Tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil (again, I splurged on this occasion, and it was well worth the investment)
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Toss on top of greens. Save some of the dressing as a dipping sauce for crusty bread.

The soup also functions as a delicious dipping sauce for the bread. I chose a demi-baguette at Harry's that had rosemary baked into it. For a bit more protein, I served the bread on a plate with some sliced gouda. I know soup in the summer may sound weird, as it's served hot, but the way I see it, we have air conditioning inside, and it tasted so dang good, it didn't matter how hot it was outside to me. The leftovers were nice the next day, as always.