Best Recipe: Caprese

Italy is one of my all time favorite countries. I have had the good fortune of traveling throughout this glorious region and sampling its wonderful food. The one thing that makes a great Italian dish (or any dish for that matter) is FRESHNESS of ingredients.

Italian Caprese salad, for all its simplicity, is absolutely delicious and endlessly satisfying.

Buon Appetito!

INGREDIENTS: (serves 2)

• 8 thick round slices of fresh Mozzarella cheese
• 8 medium round slices of ripe Roma tomatoes
• 3-4 large fresh basil leaves
• 3-4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 3-4 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Arange tomatoes and mozzarella on a plate. Tear basil leaves by hand and sprinkle them over the tomatoes and mozzarella. Drizzle everything with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Best Recipe: Fast and Easy Ratatouille

Many of us are on the go, and it becomes quite difficult to get enough vegetables into our everyday diet. This is one of the best veggie recipes I've tried recently and comes from a book called, Without Reservations, by Joey Altman. It's quick, fast, tasty, and really fun to say: ra-ta-too-ee. Enjoy!

Fast and Easy Ratatouille (or Fresh Basil Ratatouille)

INGREDIENTS:
1 med-small globe eggplant
1 med green zucchini
1 med golden zucchini or crooked-neck squash
1 med red onion
1 med red bell pepper
6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (more if needed)
Kosher salt
1 heaping tbsp. minced garlic
1, 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup roughly chopped or torn fresh basil
Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Cut eggplant, zucchini, pepper, and onion into 1/4 inch dice, placing each in a separate bowl.

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over med-hi heat. When oil is hot, add eggplant with 1 tsp. salt. Cook until eggplant softens and is slightly browned all over. Remove eggplant and place in a large serving bowl; set aside.

Add remaining 2 tbsp. olive ol to the pan, then add onions and garlic. When onions are softened and light golden, add the red peppers. Saute peppers until softened, then add the zucchini and 1 tsp. salt. Add more olive oil as needed. When finished cooking, vegetables should be tender, but not mushy.

Return the eggplant tot he pan and add the tomatoes with their juices. Stir and saute to heat everything through and combine the mixture well.

Stir in the torn basil and season with pepper and salt to taste before transferring to a serving bowl.

Best recipe: Garlic Broth

A good alternative to chicken stock or just to have on its own. Very healthy and very soothing.

Ingredients:

• 2 heads garlic
• 2 quarts water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• A bouquet of bay leaf, sprigs of thyme and parsley and a fresh sage leaf
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Separate the head of garlic into cloves and slightly crush each clove with the flat end of a knife. Drop the slightly crushed cloves into the boiling water with the rest of the ingredients and bring water to a gentle boil.
3. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 1 hour. Strain. Taste and adjust salt as desired.

Best Recipe: Gumbo

After living in New Orleans for a year, I have found an appreciation for Cajun cooking. Cajun food, quite frankly, is not the prettiest of cuisines (true Gumbo is actually dirty brown in color,) but the flavors will warm you up, body and soul.

This particular Gumbo recipe is an amalgamation of several that I have picked up--which is in essence what makes good Gumbo. So cook, serve, and let the good times roll.



GUMBO
Ingredients
1/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup flour
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp chili powder
2 large bay leaves
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 cups diced green bell peppers
1 cup diced red bell peppers
1 cup boiled rice
1 package frozen okra
2 cans chicken broth
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cups boiled crawfish tails, or, raw shrimp (or both)


Instructions
Rinse 1 cup of rice and boil until cooked. Drain and set aside.

Heat the chicken broth on medium-low heat in a medium pot

On medium-high heat, cook the roux (what thickens the gumbo) in a separate large pot by heating the oil and slowly adding the flour. Cook until the roux has developed a reddish-brown color.

Add the salt, black pepper, chili powder, garlic, onions, and peppers to the roux. Cook until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Add the diced tomatoes (with the liquid) and the chicken broth to the vegetables. Add the bay leaves. Put on medium-low heat, cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Remove cover and add the okra and seafood. Recover and let sit for 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Once the seafood has cooked, remove the bay leaves. Put the boiled rice in bowls. Serve gumbo over rice.

Enjoy!



Picture: http://czerniec.com/2007/02/19/shrimp-gumbo.jpg