Pesto
When I first heard that making pesto with a mortar and pestle instead of a food processor, it seemed like it might be more work than it would be worth. However, I love watching Italian grannies cook, so when I saw one granny rave about it on Netflix's SALT FAT ACID HEAT (check out minute 13:30 of the Fat episode), I had to try it for my self. My brother-in-law Matt also swears by this method, and he is an amazing chef, so I had to go for it - and, I was NOT disappointed! This is by far the besto pesto I've ever had, and the amount of work that goes into it is multiplied in the results.
Ingredients
3 TB pine nuts
4 cloves garlic
3 large bunches of basil (around 6 - 7 ounces)
Kosher and/or flake salt
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan, unpacked
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, adjusted to taste
Instructions
1. Grate Parmesan Reggiano using the rough, raspy holes of a cheese grater (the same you’d use for zesting fruit) until you have about 1 1/2 cups of cheese not packed down.
2. Take 3 TB of pine nuts and grind in a mortar and pestle until they form a paste.
3. Add 4 cloves of garlic and mash in the mortar and pestle, combining with the pine nuts.
4. Add basil leaves in 2-3 batches with a sprinkle of kosher salt and grind with the pine nut mixture until smooth. About 5-7 ounces of basil leaves should be added total (about three bunches). Don’t be afraid to add a lot of basil leaves at once - a few may escape when you first start grinding them, but they break down quickly and you can pop the escapees right back in!
5. Once the mixture is relatively smooth to your taste, mix in the parmesan.
6. Mix in about half a cup of olive oil until you achieve your desired consistency.
7. Enjoy with bread, pasta, or whatever you’d like! This pesto is meant to be eaten fresh. So, when using it with cooked dishes, add it to the dish after it is completely cooked with the heat turned off.
8. For storage, be sure to add a small layer of olive oil over the top of the pesto to prevent it from oxidizing and store in an airtight container.
Fresh Pasta with Pesto, Mushrooms, Tomatoes
and Goat Cheese
This dish was made with the homemade pesto featured in the recipe above and it is AMAZING! Originally I was planning on using asparagus instead of tomatoes, but there wasn't any good asparagus in the grocery stores, and honestly, I'm not mad at it! In the future, I think I would use both - and for the mushroom haters, just use the asparagus instead of mushrooms :) I love making fresh pasta because there is nothing comparable to the mouth feel of freshly made, springy salty pasta!
Ingredients
Pasta dough
2 cups semola flour (semolina works, but semola is finer and preferred to create the most tender pasta)
3 - 4 eggs
1 TB extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
Other ingredients
Pesto
Mushrooms
Tomatoes
Goat cheese
Crushed red pepper
Salt to taste
Instructions
1. On a freshly cleaned and dried counter, measure out the flour in the shape of a small mountain.
2. Create a wide well in the middle, making sure that there is always a light layer of flour on the bottom. This should look like a wide valley in the flour mountain.
3.Crack three eggs into the well, break the yolks and scramble lightly.
4. Slowly incorporate the flour and eggs together, scraping the mixture off of your hands as you go. Be sure to take off all jewelry before starting this step!
5. As the dough comes together, add the olive oil and salt. If the dough is very dry and floury, add another egg. Flour can be added in smaller increments to adjust to the correct texture.
6. When the dough comes together, it should be slightly sticky, but not enough to get stuck to your hands very much. Once you've incorporated the dough into a ball, knead for 5 full minutes.
7. Cover the dough ball with a clean tea towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.
8. While the dough rests, thinly slice the mushrooms and dice your tomatoes. In a nonstick pan, melt a little butter and sauté shallots until translucent. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about one minute. Add mushrooms and sauté until tender. Add tomatoes and sauté for another minute. Salt to taste.
9. Cut the dough into 4 pieces and flatten to an oval shape. Feed through a pasta roller (I use the KitchenAid attachment) or roll out until thickness is around the width of a toothpick.
10. Cut the pasta into your desired shape - for this pasta, I love a springy linguini!
11. Drop the pasta into boiling salted water and cook for around 2-3 minutes or until al dente. Start with one test noodle to perfect your timing to your taste.
12. Strain pasta and add to your vegetable mixture. Add pesto and gently stir to combine.
13. Top with crumbled goat cheese and a dash of crushed red pepper. Enjoy!
Panzanella
I love a carb-filled salad, and panzanella delivers! If you love fresh tomatoes and croutons, this is the salad for you too. It's a tangy, crunchy and delicious summer treat that gets better with time, so it's great when you need to make something ahead of time as well.
Ingredients
Dressing
1 TB red wine vinegar
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
Salt to taste
Salad
Stale baguette
Fresh tomatoes
Red onion
English cucumber
Basil
Fresh mozzarella (optional)
Instructions
1. Dice tomatoes, salt and leave to rest in a large bowl.
2. Thinly slice about a quarter of a red onion and add to tomatoes.
3. Halve cucumber, scoop out seeds with spoon and cut into thin slices.
4. Cube stale baguette and toast in the oven until lightly brown.
5. Mince a clove of garlic, put into a small mason jar and add a little salt. Use the back of a spoon to smash the garlic.
6. Add about a tablespoon of red wine vinegar to the garlic mixture.
7. Fill the mason jar with olive oil until it's about halfway full.
8. Add toasted bread to tomato mixture, add dressing and mix.
9. Let salad rest for at least 20 minutes.
10. Garnish with freshly chopped basil and mozzarella if desired. Enjoy!
Ají
Valeria made this new ají for me recently, and it is delicious on salad, bread, you name it. Her mom used to make this for her, and when I hear that, I know it's going to be a good recipe! I love spicy food and this recipe is quick and simple, making it a great addition to many dishes.
Ingredients
2 Hungarian peppers or banana peppers
1 garlic clove
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Instructions
1. Chop the peppers into a few pieces and throw all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until almost smooth. Enjoy!
Pico de Gallo
I love a good pico, and this simple recipe hit the spot. Using equal parts tomato and onion seems to be the trick, and it's very important to use the juice from the tomatoes as well. This fresh salsa is the perfect summer snack.
Ingredients
Tomatoes
White onion
Jalapeño
Cilantro
Lime to taste
Salt to taste
Instructions
1. Dice tomatoes, onion, and jalapeño into small pieces and put into a bowl. together. Be sure not to lose any of the jugo from the tomatoes!
2. Rough chop the cilantro and add to the mixture.
3. Squeeze lime juice into the mixture and salt to taste. Enjoy!
Charred Shishito Peppers with Herb and Lime Oil
There are many ways to make shishito peppers, and they're quite simple to char up in a pan and add some seasoning to. I love them with garlic and lemon, a spicy soy sauce, or this herb and lime oil which is to die for. We had these herb and lime oil shishito peppers, crostini, and a side of fresh tomatoes with a little extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper - delicious!
Ingredients
Herb and Lime Oil
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 basil leaves
3 mint leaves
A few sprigs of parsley
A few sprigs of cilantro
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp lime zest
A pinch of cayenne pepper
Kosher salt to taste
Peppers
Extra virgin olive oil
Large handful of shishito peppers per person
Kosher salt to taste
Lime to taste
Instructions
1. First, make the herb and lime oil. Start by heating the olive oil on the stove top.
2. Rough chop the herbs and flash fry them in the olive oil for about 15 seconds, or until bright and fragrant. Be very careful as you put them into the oil, as it will sputter from the liquid in the herbs.
3. Transfer the olive oil with herbs into a blender or food processor. After it has cooled a bit, mix the olive oil and herbs until the herbs are completely incorporated.
4. Transfer the olive oil mixture into a small bowl and add the white wine vinegar, lime zest, cayenne pepper, and kosher salt.
5. Mix with a whisk or fork until blended.
6. Make the peppers. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a medium pan.
7. Add the shishito peppers whole with a pinch of kosher salt.
8. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes or until charred.
9. Transfer the peppers into bowl and squeeze lime juice onto the peppers while hot. Drizzle on some of the herb and lime oil to taste.
10. Serve the peppers with extra herb and lime oil for dipping. Enjoy!
Tomato and Basil Pasta
This delicious and simple pasta dish starts with a cacio e pepe style base and adds cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs, and a lot of finely grated parmesan. Fresh tomatoes from the garden are my favorite, and so this recipe calls for adding the tomatoes right at the end after everything else has been cooked and put together.
Ingredients
Capellini
Cherry tomatoes
Parmesan
Basil
Oregano
Parsley
Butter
Olive oil
Cracked black pepper
Salt to taste
Crushed red pepper (optional)
Instructions
1. Put a pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil.
2. Cook capellini for a few minutes or until al dente.
3. Strain almost all of the water from the capellini, preserving a little bit of the pasta water.
4. In the same pot, add butter, a little olive oil, salt and a generous amount of cracked black pepper to the pasta.
5. Finely grate the parmesan using the zester side of a cheese grater and add to the pasta. This takes a little more time, but it's definitely worth it because the parmesan is extremely fine.
6. Halve the cherry tomatoes, rough chop the fresh herbs, and add to the pasta.
7. Add a little crushed red pepper if desired and adjust seasoning to your taste. Enjoy!
Pressure Cooked Beans,
Any Type
I used to be a very picky eater, and one thing that took me some time to like as a vegetarian was beans. However, if I had tried these beans from Valeria sooner, that would not have been the case! These are the most delicious beans I've ever had - they are made from fresh beans and they soak up tons of flavor from the vegetables and spices. Perfect for a breakfast burrito, enchiladas, or rice and beans.
Ingredients
1 bag of beans of your choice (I prefer pinto or black)
1 yellow onion, diced
1 green pepper, quartered
2 tomatoes, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, smashed
3 bay leaves
A handful of cilantro
Lots of adobo to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Water
1/4 C Extra virigin olive oil
Instructions
1. Pour rinsed beans into the pressure cooker and add plenty of water, about 4 inches above the beans.
2. Place all other ingredients, except the olive oil, into the pressure cooker and pressure cook for about 45 minutes.
3. Open the pressure cooker, add the olive oil, and boil to remove excess liquid if needed.
4. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Mojito
One of the best summertime drinks is a mojito! It's so refreshingly cold and mint is an easy plant to grow. My brother-in-law, Matt, got me hooked on mojitos based on Jamie Oliver's recipe, and they're one of my favorites now.
Ingredients
1 - 2 sugar cubes
8 - 10 mint leaves
1/2 lime
2 oz white rum
Ice
Soda water or lime soda water
Instructions
1. Put one or two sugar cubes, depending on your taste, into a glass and crush.
2. Take 8 - 10 mint leaves, place them in your hand, spank them with your other hand, and put into the glass.
3. Cut the butts off of the lime, cut in half, and cut that half into four pieces. Add to the glass.
4. Muddle the sugar, mint, and limes around 6 - 8 times. Don't over-muddle, or you may end up getting the taste of the pith from the lime.
5. Add 2 ounces of rum and mix.
6. Crush a few ice cubes in a tea towel and add to the glass.
7. Add soda water until the glass is full and mix.
8. Top with a twist if desired. Enjoy!
Crock-Pot Pasta Sauce
For a few years now, I've been striving to create a homemade pasta sauce that was as good as they serve in an authentic Italian restaurant - that extremely fresh, bright, and flavorful sauce that you can never have enough of. This is as close as I've come so far, and I am not disappointed in the least - easy to make and delicious!
Ingredients
10 San Marzano tomatoes (if not available, use Roma)
1 medium sweet vidalia onion, diced
6 cloves of garlic, smashed
10 leaves fresh basil
10 leaves fresh oregano
A few leaves fresh parsley
Parmesan rind
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
1. Cut an X on the bottom of each tomato.
2. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, add the tomatoes and cook for about 30 seconds. Remove tomatoes from the water and set aside to cool.
3. Dice the onion, smash the garlic cloves, and roughly chop the herbs.
4. Peel the tomatoes. The X on the bottom should help you to easily start peeling them.
5. Place all ingredients in a slow cooker and place on high for about four hours or low for about six.
6. Smash tomatoes to desired size or use an immersion blender to create a smoother sauce.
7. Adjust seasoning to taste. Enjoy!
Pineapple Fried Rice
This dish takes a bit more effort, but it is so worth it! The sweetness of the caramelized pineapple with the salty, savory vegetables and sticky rice is amazing. I started making this dish just this year, and I've quickly fallen in love with it. It's so customizable with your veggies and sauces, it's flexible enough to please many different audiences. The ingredients below are what I decided to use this time, but you can select whichever vegetables and sauces you like best in a stir fry - the trick is to cook the vegetables, pineapple, and eggs separately and combine at the end.
Ingredients
Cooked white rice (preferably a day or two old)
Eggs
Pineapple
Pineapple
Red Onion
Jalapeños
Ginger
Garlic
Olive oil
Soy sauce
Lime juice
Vegetables
Carrots
Mushrooms
Peppers
Kale
Scallions (white parts)
Lemongrass
Olive oil
Sauces
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Sriracha (red and yellow)
Toppings
Scallions (green parts)
Cilantro
Salt to taste
Instructions
Prepare the vegetables
1. Shred the carrots, and cut the mushrooms, peppers, scallions, and kale into bite-sized pieces.
2. Chop the lemongrass into one inch pieces and remove the outer most layer or two. Smash to release the flavor.
3. Heat some olive oil in a nonstick pan on medium heat.
4. Add the carrots, mushrooms, peppers, kale, whites of the scallions, and lemongrass and cook until tender. Use a lid to help steam the veggies as they cook, being careful to stir frequently to avoid burning.
5. Once the veggies are cooked, remove from the pan, and set aside for later.
Caramelize the pineapple
6. Heat some olive oil in the same nonstick pan on medium heat.
7. Add one or two tablespoons of diced red onion and a clove of minced garlic and cook for about two minutes.
8. Add the pineapple and cook for 5 - 10 minutes, or until you can see visible browning.
9. Add about a tablespoon of soy sauce, a tablespoon of chopped jalapeños, and lime juice to taste.
10. Once the pineapple is cooked, remove from the pan, and set aside for later.
Scramble the eggs
11. In the same nonstick pan, scramble the eggs. Add salt and pepper to taste.
12. Once the eggs are scrambled, remove from pan, and set aside for later.
Warm up rice
13. Add more olive oil to the same nonstick pan if needed and add cooked rice. Rice that was cooked a day or two before works best.
14. Stir until warm and add salt to taste.
Combine
15. Add vegetables, caramelized pineapple, and scrambled eggs to the rice. Stir to combine.
16. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, and sriracha to taste. Stir to combine.
17. Top with the greens of the scallions and chopped cilantro to taste. Enjoy!