Pasta Al Fresco

Here is a great, easy, fresh pasta sauce that's perfect for summer tomatoes. You can make it in less time than it takes to boil your pasta.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups of diced tomatoes -- farm grown summer tomatoes are really best, but if you can't get these, substitute grape tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
1 tsp. salt
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced (you can substitute dried herbs, and if you do so, use half of these amounts. It'll still be good, but it's infinitely better and brighter with fresh herbs)
1/3 cup of dry white wine (optional)

Heat the olive oil over medium heat and quickly saute the garlic, taking care not to let it brown at all. Once its translucent, add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and toss thoroughly. Cook this over medium to medium-low heat until the tomatoes start to break down. Add the rosemary and pepper and continue to saute until a nice liquid forms. If the sauce doesn't form enough liquid to coat the pasta you're cooking, you can either add the 1/3 cup white wine, or the same amount of pasta water, right before you drain your pasta.

Toss this sauce with 1 pound of your favorite pasta, throwing the basil in as you toss. Serve with grated cheese.

You could also add shrimp or sliced chicken if desired.

Moussaka ala Judy

As with many things I post, I make no pretense that this is the most authentic version of this dish, but it's the one I've developed while experimenting with many different recipes. It's a fabulous Greek dish that can be made with our without meat, can be a main dish or a side dish, and gets more delicious when reheated. As a bonus, it's also very easy to make and can be made days in advance.

1 large eggplant, sliced thin (I don't peel the eggplant in advance, but you can if you don't like the peel)
2 large cans of crushed tomatoes
1 medium red onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2-3 tablespoons each of minced fresh basil, mint and flat leaf parsley (if you use dried, use 2 teaspoons each, but it really won't be nearly as good)
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
16 ounces of feta cheese, crumbled (low-fat varieties will work)
1 pound ground lamb, beef, chicken or turkey (optional -- lamb is really the best choice, beef is second. Chicken and turkey are distant thirds)
1/2 cup of bread crumbs (seasoned or plain)
1/4 cup of grated parmigiana cheese

In a large bowl, mix the crushed tomatoes, onion, garlic, herbs and pepper. There's no need to saute the onion and garlic in advance, though you can if you want to. I don't add any salt to this because the canned tomatoes usually are salty enough, and the cheese you'll add later is also very salty, but if you like food well seasoned, add a touch of salt.

On a cookie sheet, well-sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, lay the eggplant slices, spray the top with more non-stick cooking spray, and bake them for 10 minutes at 350 degrees, until they are slightly softened.

If you're going to add meat, saute it in a touch of olive oil and with a pinch of salt until it's cooked through.

Once the eggplant and meat are cooked, you can start assembling the moussaka.

Spray a baking dish with a good amount of non-stick cooking spray (or use olive oil if you'd like), and line the bottom with the tomato and herb mixture. Cover with a layer of eggplant, meat, feta cheese and more sauce, and repeat until you've used up all the eggplant, meat and cheese. Use all the feta on the inner layers.

On top of the last layer of eggplant, cover with the tomato sauce, and then sprinkle with bread crumbs and parmigiana cheese -- this will brown and crisp a bit as it bakes and make for a nice topping. (Should you be cooking for someone who can't eat any gluten, skip the breadcrumbs -- it'll still be delicious!)

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45-55 minutes --until bubbling on the edges, and so hot in the middle that you can't stick your finger into the center for more than a second.

When done, let it sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Hot Spinach/Artichoke Dip

I'm sure you've all had some version of this dip -- most frequently made with gobs of mayonnaise. It may be tasty to some, but for those of us who loathe mayo, it's a tough sell. Plus, there are healthier and better tasting (and textured) ways to make it. Determined to improve upon the standard, I came up with my own version, which is below. While I present this as a dip, there's no reason why it can't be used to stuff vegetables such as eggplant or zucchini before roasting, be used as a layer in lasagna, or in many other delicious forms.

The version below is designed to minimize calories but if you want to be really decadent, go for the full-fat versions of everything below -- it will definitely taste better, but believe me, the healthier version tastes pretty fabulous too.

Ingredients:

8 ounces skim ricotta cheese
1 block of low-fat (but not NO fat) cream cheese
1/2 cup of grated parmigiana cheese
8 ounces of low-fat mozzarella cheese
4-5 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper
1 frozen package of chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed until all excess water is removed
1 can of artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
5-6 shots of hot pepper sauce (optional -- but it really brings out the flavor and doesn't add any noticeable heat except for the most sensitive of palates)

Let the cream cheese sit out at room temperature for about an hour, and then combine all the ingredients in a large bowl -- a stand-mixer works best, but you can also feel free to dig into this with your hands. Spread this into an oven-safe dish and put into a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, until it bubbles up all around and is melted through the center. You can also cook this in a microwave. It will take 3-5 minutes, and you should cook it one minute at a time, stirring in between minutes. You can also reheat it in the microwave as it starts to cool.

This is best served on pieces of bruschetta, but it's also great on your favorite crackers, toasted pita bread, and even as a dip for sturdy veggies.

Try this version -- I'll be amazed if you don't like it better than the ones you're used to!

Carmelized onions

There is no end to what you can do with carmelized onions -- they are sweet and savory, can dress up most meats, can be used in appetizers, or as a delicious dressing for pasta. Once you have the technique down, the possibilities are limitless.

The three essential ingredients are yellow onions (NOT Vidalia or some other "sweet" onion, which end up being a bit too sweet and watery to achieve the right texture -- just regular old yellow onions), olive oil and salt. After that, you can dress them up as you see fit. I have some suggestions below, but these are just to get you started and pique your imagination.

To make about 1 cup of carmelized onions, follow these instructions:

In an oversized frying pan, or some sort of pan in which you have a large cooking surface and can saute, heat up 4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.

Take four jumbo-sized yellow onions or 6 large ones, peel them, cut in half length-wise, and cut into 1/8 inch slices.

Pile these on top of the heated oil, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of salt.

Toss the onions so they are coated in salt and oil, and cover the pan. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let them sweat for 10-15 minutes, until the water releases from the onions, and they start to really cook down.

Then remove the lid, and turn the heat up ever so slightly, still keeping it below medium heat. Let them continue to cook, slowly evaporating the liquid, and every five minutes, toss them thoroughly. After about 30 minutes, perhaps longer, they will become nice and rich-golden brown. Be careful never to let them start to burn and crisp. If this starts to happen, lower the heat and be patient. This process is best described as low and slow -- you need to spend the time necessary to let the sugars really develop in the onions as they brown and soften. The finished consistency will resemble a good orange marmalade.

These onions, just as they are, make a delicious relish for beef, chicken, and pork. Indeed, nothing's better on a burger than a big helping of carmelized onions. You can dress them up a bit by adding some thyme, balsamic vinegar, lemon rind, and/or pepper. Really, the sky's the limit in terms of flavoring them up, but I urge restraint so that you don't overpower the taste of the carmelized onions themselves. They are delicious.

Other ideas for carmelized onions:

As a pizza topping -- skip the sauce and cover your crust with these onions and then sprinkle with your favorite cheese before baking -- gongonzola and gruyere are popular, but fontina would be delicious too.

As a topping for bruschetta.

As an appetizer -- get phyllo dough cups or puff pastry cups (both widely available in freezer sections of your grocery store), and put some carmelized onions in them. Top either with grated manchego cheese, or a piece of brie and some jam, and bake until the cheese melts. These will be a huge hit at your party.

As a pasta sauce -- toss cooked pasta with a little olive oil and a big helping of onions and grated cheese. Or toss them with pierogies -- it's a perfect compliment to the potatoes.

As an addition to mashed potatoes - swirl these into your potatoes (or on top of a baked potato) to make them extra savory.

Stracciatella

This is a delicious Roman-style soup that is the Italian equivalent of Chinese restaurant staple egg-drop soup. The word stracciatella means "rags" and it conjures up the way the ingredients in this soup look. It's usually made with chicken broth, but can easily be made with vegetable broth for those who do not eat meat. However, I would not recommend beef or fish broth as a substitute.

It's a fabulous first course, or side dish to a lunch-time salad. But it's definitely not rich enough for a full meal unless you have a very small appetite :)

The basic recipe is so simple:

Bring 4 cups of broth to a simmer.
Beat 3 eggs together with 1/2 cup of grated parmigiana cheese and 1/4 teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper.

Slowly drizzle the egg and cheese mixture into the hot broth, whisking as you go. It'll "set" pretty quickly and be ready to serve in about 3 minutes. And this is soup that should be served just as soon as it's done.

For variations, you could add chopped spinach or escarole to the soup as well. Simply saute them in a little bit of olive oil and add to the soup right before serving.

Crab (or salmon) cakes; crab-meat stuffing

You'll pay so much for these in a restaurant, but they're really so easy to make at home, for a fraction of the price. Friends and family will think you're a gourmet, but you'll know the truth :)

1 pound of fresh crab meat (lump is best, but backfin is good too)
Juice of one lemon
1 heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise (reduced fat versions are fine!)
1 tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning
1/2 cup of plain breadcrumbs -- panko style are best, but any plain breadcrumb is fine
1 egg, well beaten

Place all ingredients into a bowl and lightly mix with your hands, being careful not to break up the crab-meat too much. Mix until all the ingredients are just evenly distributed.

Divide into four portions and form into patties. You can then either saute these in olive oil until lightly browned on both sides, or broil them for about 4-5 minutes on each side.

The mixture is also a perfect crab-meat stuffing that you can use to stuff flounder, sole, tilapia, etc., or shrimp, or lobster, or mushrooms, etc.

If you don't like crab meat, you could easily substitute salmon. Buy one pound of fresh salmon filet, lightly brush with olive oil, and broil for 6-8 minutes, until it's medium. Let the salmon cook and break it up into chunky flakes, and follow directions as above.

Vodka Sauce

Now that we're in Lent, and Catholics are looking for meatless Friday meals, I thought I should post some more vegetarian options. Vodka sauce has become very popular in the last decade, with good cause -- it's rich, delicious, but not too heavy. And best of all, REALLY easy to make! The recipe below will easily cover an entire pound of pasta.

1 large can of crushed tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, well crushed, but not cut up any further
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (Optional)
1 pint of half and half (you can use heavier cream, but I prefer the lighter texture of half and half)
1/2 cup good vodka (doesn't have to be the most expensive kind, but don't use rot-gut quality)
1/3 cup of freshly grated pecorino or locatelli romano cheese

Saute the garlic in olive oil, over medium heat, just until it starts to turn every so slightly brown. Then remove the actual pieces of garlic but leave the flavored oil. Add the pepper (black and red) to the oil and saute for 30 seconds. Then turn the heat up to high and add the vodka -- let it come to a rapid boil and immediately turn the heat down to medium/low. You want to boil off the alcohol, but not evaporate the liquid. Then add the tomatoes and once that is heated thru and starting to bubble a little, turn the heat to low and add the half and half. Let it warm through, but do not bring to a boil or it may curdle. Once it's warm, whisk in the romano cheese and then toss with pasta.

Any kind of pasta is fine, but I like penne or rotini best. But it's also wonderful on stuffed pastas such as ravioli and tortellini.

Serve with more romano on the side for those that like their pasta extra-cheesy.