Creamy Baked Leeks

This baked leek casserole reminds me of the creamed onions that were always on my grandma's table at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Joe is sensitive to large amounts of onions, so he enjoys the milder onion-asparagus taste of leeks much better. This is a quick and easy side dish, that comes together in about half an hour.

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp ground mustard
Dash hot sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 medium leeks, tough green leaves removed and halved lengthwise

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with oil.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then whisk in the flour. Gradually stir in the milk and then the cheese until melted. Season with garlic powder, mustard, hot sauce, salt, and pepper.

Arrange the leeks in a single layer on the pan. Pour the cheese sauce over the leeks. Bake for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven, until leeks are tender and sauce is bubbly.

Serves 4.

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Smoked Cheese-Stuffed Eggplant Rolls (Involtini di Melanzane)

Eggplants have that hearty, meaty texture of some kinds of mushrooms. This is one reason why they are beloved by vegetarians. Cheese-stuffed eggplant rolls are wonderful for a meatless Monday, especially when a friend has just given you beautiful, shiny lavender eggplants from her garden. If you don't have eggplant, a similar dish can be made from other long summer squashes like zucchini.

The creamy smoked of the cheese is the highlight of this dish. We urge you to splurge on some really good melty high-quality kind if you can afford it. The rest of the recipe is really inexpensive, and you are worth it.

Try pronouncing this in-vole-TEE-nee dee may-lon-ZAH-nee. Melanzane is the Italian word for eggplant.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 20-oz can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp capers
1 large eggplant (a long, thin one works best for this recipe)
1/2 pound smoked provolone, gouda, or scamorza cheese, sliced sandwich-thin
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

Directions

Take the cheese out of the fridge and let it warm to room temperature.

Heat the oil in a saucepan until wavy. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes. Add the oinon and red bell pepper and saute for 2 or 3 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the garlic and saute 2 more minutes. Pour in the crushed tomatoes. Stir in the thyme, salt, and capers, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 20 minutes, or until the eggplant is ready to be stuffed.

Cut off the top of the eggplant. Slice it lengthwise into 1/4 thick strips. On a medium grill, cook the eggplant for several minutes on each side, or until the eggplant is tender and pliable.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9x11 casserole pan.

Lay an eggplant slice flat on a cutting board. Place 1/2 slice of cheese on the slice. Rip a basil leaf in half and place each half on the slice. Roll up the slice and place it in the casserole pan. Repeat with each slice. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the rolls. Tear up the remaining cheese and sprinkle over the top.

Bake the casserole for 20-30 minutes,until heated through and bubbly. Serve with a tossed green salad and crusty bread, if desired.

Serves 4-6.

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Fried Sage Leaves (Salvia Fritta)

Thanks to Lawrence Rice for capturing these luscious leaves. :)

Just as the last leaves fall and the first snows start, a sage bush in the herb garden is still pumping out leaves. That's probably why sage is such a traditional part of Thanksgiving seasonings. In Tuscany, we found that they're in love with sage, too. We swooned over a small side dish of fried sage leaves that accompanied a rosemary-scented porterhouse steak. Now we're fried-sage evangelists.

Sage is a powerful herb, but the light crust and quick frying transforms the leaves into a mellow crispy treat, kind of like a flavored potato chip. These are wonderful alongside any kind of meat, or as a good snack or appetizer. You might find yourself whipping up a batch to sprinkle over a vegetable or grain dish, too.

Actually, we have trouble getting them to the table, since we like to munch on them while we're putting the finishing touches on dinner. Yes, they're that good.

Ingredients

24 large fresh sage leaves

1 egg

2 tbsp water

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt, plus more for sprinkling before serving

Vegetable oil for frying

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Rinse the sage leaves and pat them dry with paper towels.

Whisk together the egg and water in a shallow bowl. In a plate, stir together the flour and salt. Layer a platter with paper towels to drain the cooked leaves. 

Pour about 1 inch of oil into a large frying pan and heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Working quickly in small batches, dip the leaves into the egg mixture, let the excess drain off, then dip them into the flour and shake off the excess. Drop them into the oil and cook until barely golden - do not let them brown, as this will make them taste bitter.

Drain the cooked leaves on the paper toweling, and set the platter in the oven to keep them warm while you finish the rest of the leaves. 

Sprinkle with salt before serving.

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Ranch Crash Baby Potatoes

You might have noticed that Joe and I love potatoes. Really love them! It's a culinary fact that if there's potatoes involved, it's going to be a good dish. And if you add cheese and oil and other good things to the potatoes, it's a guarantee that there will be no leftovers in this house.

Last time I made these cheesy smashed potatoes, I looked for the leftovers that I was SURE were there. I wanted them for breakfast. But it's true that the early bird gets the - well, the potatoes - because Joe had gotten up an hour earlier and they were all gone.

He's notorious for eating odd things for breakfast, so he probably topped them with leftover marinated chicken from the stacks of BBQ chicken pizza I'd made for the homeless shelter. The BBQ chicken was gone too, you see.

Tender new potatoes, or very small ones, are perfect for smashing because they crisp up so well in the last step. If you don't like ranch flavoring, or prefer some other seasoning, add whatever snipped herbs and spices you like.

Ingredients

12-15 baby potatoes (we used 2" round ones from my mom's fall harvest)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 packet powdered Ranch dressing mix

1/4 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese

2 tbsp snipped chives (optional)

Directions

Scrub potatoes, then put them in a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until tender. Drain and allow to cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Drizzle a cookie sheet with half the oil. Place the potatoes on the pan, and smash each one with a potato masher or the bottom of a strong cup. The potatoes should be about 1/2 inch thick when completely crushed.

Stir together the salt, pepper, ranch dressing, cheese, and chives. Sprinkle over the tops of the potatoes, then drizzle with the rest of the oil. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until crispy and golden brown.

Serves 4-6.

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Black Bean Mango Salad with Shrimp

A few weeks ago, our friends John and Peg invited us over to dinner and a play down at the Goodman Theater in Chicago. John is a fabulous cook who was working on a tropical theme - this mango and black bean salad, chicken with mango, papaya, and coconut, and a dessert of chocolate ice cream balls coated in toasted coconut.

John peeled and deveined raw shrimp, marinated them in the lime juice, then grilled them before adding to the salad. We went a less expensive route with frozen precooked tiny shrimp, but if it's in your budget, I'd really recommend cooking the shrimp fresh for the best taste.

Ingredients

For the shrimp:

10-12 oz. cooked salad shrimp
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

For the salad:

1 ripe mango
2 cups canned black beans, drained and rinsed
4 tbsp finely chopped mint
4 scallions, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Directions

Stir together the shrimp ingredients and let them marinade in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Peel the mango and cut into 1/2" pieces. Saute the shrimp for 2 minutes, then mix into the rest of the ingredients. Let set for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Serves 4.

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Too-Hot-To-Cook Veggie Pizza

This recipe has been around for a while, but it's still an easy favorite for me and my daughter to make together. We first tasted this when a dear friend brought it to a potluck as an appetizer and shared the recipe all around. When Jessie moved into her first apartment and asked for recipes for her favorite foods, I bought her a cookbook and hand-wrote the recipes she loved best, including this one. We recently made this pizza together in her kitchen.

This is an easy dinner to make when it's too hot to cook, because it only requires a few minutes in the oven and then it cools in the fridge.

Cool Veggie Pizza

Ingredients

1 tube of crescent rolls
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cucumber, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
(add any other chopped vegetables that you like)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Unroll the cresecent roll dough and flatten into a greased 9x11 pan, pressing the dough up the sides of the pan and sealing the pre-cut seams between each roll. Bake the dough according to the package directions until golden brown. Allow to cool.

Mix together the cream cheese, mayo, and ranch seasoning. Spread on top of the crust in the pan.  Sprinkle with all the veggies and top with the shredded cheese. Refrigerate before serving.

Serves 4-6

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Kale with Bacon and Pine Nuts

Our very last Iron Chef Bacon Cook Off recipe comes from my friend John, our tattooed and Harley-riding church consultant friend who loves his food creation time as a meditative, relaxing practice. We've enjoyed many of his fabulous dishes over the years. This wilted kale salad has all the good benefits of leafy greens, along with buttery pine nuts and of course, good-quality bacon.

This dish can be whipped up quickly and is great for a side dish or a main-meal salad.

Ingredients

1 very large bunch of kale, mustard greens, or other leafy greens, stemmed and washed
8 strips of bacon
1/2 cup chopped green onion
3/4 cups pine nuts
1 small lemon

Instructions

Toast the pine nuts over medium heat in a dry skillet. Be careful not to burn. In a large pot, fry the bacon, remove and let cool on paper towel. When cool, crumble. Save the bacon grease.

Cook the green onion in bacon grease until soft. Add kale to pot; it may not all fit at first. Add 3/4 cup water. Put lid on pot to wilt the kale. Stir/toss occasionally. Add additional kale until all is wilted. Add bacon and toasted pine nuts and toss. Squeeze the juice of 1 small lemon. Toss before serving.

Serves 4.

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Tuscan Marinated Eggplant Salad (Ensalata di Melanzane)

Joe and I spent the first day of our honeymoon in the airport in Rome waiting for a flight to Pisa, where our luggage had gone and where our rental car was waiting. We missed our connecting flight because of slow lines going through Customs. After several hours, and a couple more cancelled flights, we decided to rent a car and drive up to our cottage in Tuscany.

I didn't even make it out of the parking garage before crawling into the back seat and going to sleep. I was struggling with jet lag and exhaustion from weeks of wedding arrangements. I couldn't drive a stick shift anyway, so I wasn't much use in driving the Autostrada.

We were hours late in arriving at the Agriturismo where we would spend the next week. Our hosts at Rosa dei Venti, who operated the hotel and villas on an ancestral working farm, welcomed us with prosecco and a meal they'd made especially for us: an antipasti plate of sausages and cheeses, marinated eggplant salad, a meaty pasta sauce called Ragu di Carne, a stewed rabbit and chicken dish (coniglio in umido alla toscana), an apricot tart, and fresh figs from the tree next to our cottage.

They also brought two bottles of hearty Barbaresco wine, and we toasted everything we could think of. The family's German Shepherd, Azzo, nosed his way into our villa and sat down by the hearth. We tossed him scraps of rabbit and practiced our Italian. Azzo pricked up his ears no matter which language we spoke to him.

Later, we lay out in the grass and listened to the festival in the tiny town of Creti below us, the high-speed bullet trains rushing from town to town, and the sunflower heads rattling against each other in the vast field to the north. It was a beautiful day.

Ingredients

1 medium eggplant

1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp red wine vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup chopped Roma or plum tomato

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp fresh basil, snipped

Directions

Slice the eggplant lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Heat a dry griddle and sprinkle it with salt. Toast the eggplant on each side until brown and tender, about 5 minutes per side. Finely chop the parsley.

Place the eggplant on a platter. Drizzle with vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil and scatter the parsley evenly over the slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Marinate for at least 1 hour at room temperature.

Cut the tomatoes into a small dice and let the juices drain out in a colander or sieve. Stir in the last tbsp of olive oil, the garlic, and the basil. Spoon the tomatoes over the eggplant just before serving it at room temperature.

Serves 4-6 as a side salad, or 8-10 as an appetizer.

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Pear-Gorgonzola-Walnut Salad

This simple salad is one of our long-term love affairs. In fact, one of the many reasons we love each other is because we both love gorgonzola. Or blue cheese. Or bleu cheese. Somehow, gorgonzola and pears love each other too. It's all about the love with this salad.

A creamy poppyseed dressing is wonderful with this salad, but a vinaigrette works well too. Use whatever dressing makes you happy.

Ingredients

3 cups mesclun mix lettuce, or variety of fresh lettuces
3 cups baby spinach, kale, or chard
2 ripe pears, any variety
1/3 cup red onion, very thinly sliced
1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Toss the lettuce, spinach, and onion in a bowl. Core the pears and cut into 1" cubes. Sprinkle the pears, gorgonzola, and walnuts over the salad before serving.

Makes 4 side salads or 2 main-dish salads.

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Aloo Paratha (Indian Potato Pancakes)

Hey, did you know "aloo" means potato? One of my favorite foods, for sure.

Aloo parathas are delicious anytime. While some people eat them for breakfast, they're also great to wrap up fillings like cucumber-yogurt salad, eggs, chutneys, lentils, beans, or anything your imagination suggests. The most difficult part, if there is a difficult part to this simple recipe, is rolling out each cake. Be gentle and sprinkle your surfaces with flour as you need it.

Though my Indian-American friend Sheilja has made these before, she called her mom in New Jersey to get a specific recipe before we cooked together this week. Sheilja says her mom can toast these cakes on three or more griddles at once without losing her head or getting flustered.

Ingredients

6 cups potatoes, boiled and finely shredded
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 tsp red chili powder
4 tsp cumin powder
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp salt (or more, to taste)
About 3/4 cup flour (we used whole wheat flour), plus more for rolling
2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus more for cooking (about 1/4 cup total)

Directions

Stir together all ingredients. Form the potato mixture into balls the size of a golf ball - about 2" in diameter. Coat each of the balls in flour and let rest for 5 minutes.

Gently roll out each ball on a floured surface, until it is about 1/4 inch thick and 4 or 5 inches in diameter. Place on waxed paper while rolling the rest.

Heat a flat skillet on high until a drop of water sizzles off it immediately. Place one or two parathas on the skillet, making sure they don't touch while browning. Swirl a drop of oil on the top of each pancake, then flip it when the first side is browned. Put a bit of oil on that side as the uncooked side browns and begins to bubble a bit.

Serve warm with any variety of chutneys, vegetables, yogurt, or the delicious raita - a cucumber-yogurt-mint sauce.

Makes about 30 pancakes.

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Curried Pumpkin Hummus

As well as pumpkin, you can also use any kind of winter squash in this recipe. Those slightly sweet fall squashes pair naturally with Indian spices like curry powder, ginger, and coconut milk. If you use a squash like butternut or acorn, just quarter it, scoop out the seeds, and microwave the pieces for 15-18 minutes, until it's tender. Let it cool a bit before measuring out 2 cups of squash into the food processor.

Serve this hot with naan and cucumber-yogurt raita sauce, and you have a healthy Meatless Monday meal. Skip the yogurt, and it's vegan, too!

P.S. The toasted pumpkin seeds in this recipe are shelled; we buy them from the grocery store that way. I've never shelled my own but I don't think I'd want to. Sometimes you can find these in ethnic aisles of grocery stores, labeled as "pepitas".

Ingredients

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained
1 15 oz can pumpkin
2 tbsp sweet curry powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 Thai chili pepper, seeded and minced
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup light coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil

Directions

Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan until slightly browned and fragrant.

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor, and process on high until smooth and creamy. If you like a little texture to your hummus, reserve 1/4 cup garbanzos, add them towards the end of the processing time, and blend them until the mixture is just a little chunky.

Put the hummus in a saucepan and heat until steaming hot, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Pour into a bowl and top with extra roasted pumpkin seeds, if desired, and serve with naan, pita bread or wedges, or crackers.

Makes about 4 cups of hummus.

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Ricotta and Chard Gnocchi

Angela loves this simple gnocchi soup - ricotta and chard gnocchi in chicken broth.

We were lucky enough to take cooking classes in Italy with people who shared authentic recipes passed down through generations in theif family. One recipe was this ricotta and chard version of gnocchi - a little different than the tender flour or potato dumplings we've had before.

These delicately-flavored dumplings are fairly easy to make and freeze well. You can serve them with melted butter and Parmesan cheese, a meat or tomato sauce, or cooked in chicken broth, which is Angela’s favorite.

A few years ago, we grew multi-colored chard with yellow, white, orange, and red stems and our vegetable garden was gorgeous to look at. We were surprised to see how many re-seeded for the next couple of years. Spinach, kale, or arugula is a good substitute for chard. If you use frozen, make sure you drain it well before using.

Ingredients

1 lb. Chard, spinach, or arugula, rinsed, and stems removed
1 ½ cups low-fat ricotta
2 beaten eggs
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp black truffle salt
1/8 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 cups flour
1 tsp. Extra-virgin olive oil
2 quarts broth, meat gravy, or marinara sauce

Instructions

Finely chop the greens. Add ricotta, eggs, parmesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and combine the ingredients.

Spread flour on work surface and dust your hands with flour. Take about 1 tablespoon of the mixture and roll it into a ball with your hands. Continue rolling, dusting your hands and the work surface frequently, until all the mixture is used.

Pour the oil into a large frying pan and lightly brown the gnocchi balls, stirring frequently but gently. In another pot, bring the sauce or broth to a boil, reduce heat, and add all the gnocchi. Cook for 3-5 minutes, making sure the gnudi do not stick to each other.

You can serve this with additional Parmesan cheese if you like. We never seem to get enough of that cheese!

Serves 6.

Note: if you are going to freeze the gnocchi, cook them in boiling salted water 3-5 minutes, drain and let cool, and then place in labeled freezer bags.

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Broiled Tomatoes, Arrabiata-Style

According to people who probably know what they're talking about, arrabiata means something like "angry"; cooking something arrabiata-style ("all'arabiata") means it's in a fiery tomato sauce. This pepper-laced topping on luscious summer tomatoes is inspired by spicy red arrabiata sauce. If you're talented at cupping the breading over tops of the tomatoes so it sticks, this entire dish will take about 3 minutes to prepare, and 30-40 minutes of hands-off cooking time.

That's enough time to take a bubble bath with a glass of wine before dinner. Just sayin'.

Ingredients

8 medium ripe tomatoes

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)

2 tsp capers, chopped

1 tsp basil, chopped

1 tsp parsley, chopped

2 tbsp Asiago cheese, grated

6 Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a baking pan.

Wash the tomatoes and cut the core out of the top of each one. If desired, slice a little off the bottom of each tomato so it will sit steady on the pan. Place the tomatoes an equal distance apart on the baking sheet.

Stir together all ingredients except the olives, and spoon onto the tops of the tomatoes, pressing the topping down so it stays in place. Top with the sliced olives.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and fully cooked. Turn on the broiler to 500 degrees and set the pan under the broiler 4 inches from the heat. Broil for 3-5 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.

Serves 4-8.

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Quick Italian Eggplant Towers

Have I mentioned before that my parents raise an enormous garden every year? Even more cool, they grow things like eggplant, which look pretty odd as they come up, and which I'm sure I never ate growing up and even more sure my parents never tasted as kids. Did you grow up with eggplant? Even the word is a little odd, and ick-inducing, isn't it? I think I prefer names like aubergines (French) or melanzane (Italian).

This super-quick recipe from my mom is impressive if you have the skills to make it look like a spirally tower (look at how pretty Joe made it look!). This is a go-to recipe if you've got about 20 minutes to make dinner and you really need to eat something healthy.

If you're one of the fortunate ones that can splurge on something higher calorie, I highly recommend using one of those shredded cheese blends with mozzarella, asiago, and other good things. You could also add cooked and crumbled Italian sausage...actually, I can think of about 10 other things that would be awesome in this dish.

If you do have a bit more time, you can simmer up your own marinara sauce with a couple of cans of crushed tomatoes and your favorite Italian herbs and spices. This weekend we were a bit rushed for time, between errands and that Honey-Do list and all...but we did whip up some of our own sauce. Next time we'll make a double recipe of sauce so we have some frozen on hand when we're really busy.

Ingredients

2 medium eggplants
1 jar spaghetti sauce or homemade marinara
1 small jar of roasted red peppers, drained
2 cups fat-free shredded mozzarella

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking sheet. Put the sauce in the microwave and heat until bubbly.

While it's heating, slice up the eggplant into 1/2" disks. We prefer to peel ours because we don't like the texture of the cooked skins. Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave until it's tender, about 3-4 minutes.

Place the pepper into the microwave and heat up for about 1 1/2 minutes. While it's heating, place a layer of eggplant onto the greased pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the cheese, then drizzle some of the sauce over the layer. Add a second layer, then top it with the red pepper. Add a third and fourth layer. 

Cover with foil and place in the oven. Cook for 10 minutes, then remove the foil and cook for 5 more, or until the towers are cooked through.

Serves 4.

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Heirloom Tomato Tart

Last summer, my friend Talea made me this tomato pie for lunch one day, and I loved it so much I got her recipe. It's actually a traditional recipe from the Lyons region of France, and perfect for those funny-looking heirloom tomatoes. I've been wanting to post this recipe for the last year.

Ingredients

1 single layer pie crust (we love this recipe for Murbteig pie crust, but pre-made is good and quick, too)
2 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp mayonnaise
4 ounces swiss cheese, grated
1 1/2 pounds fresh Heirloom tomatoes
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tbsp fresh basil leaves, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp fine bread crumbs
1 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 tsp olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Oil a pie or tart pan. Place the crust in the pan and pinch the edges. If using fresh pie crust, place it in the freezer on wax paper for a few minutes before transferring it to the pan - it will hold together better.

Prick the crust all over and place in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, until the crust is puffed and golden. Take it out of the oven and let it cool while making the pie ingredients. Turn the oven to 375 degrees.

Slice each tomato in half and squeeze out the seeds. Slice each half into 1/4" slices, and let them drain in a colander for 10 minutes (this helps prevent a soggy crust and a soupy filling). 

Stir together the mustard, mayonnaise, and oregano. Spread half of the mixture on the crust, then sprinkle on half of the cheese. Layer half the tomatoes over the cheese. Repeat with the second half of the mustard, cheese, and tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Stir together the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese, and sprinkle over the top of the pie. Scatter the basil leaves over the crumbs, then drizzle the pie with the olive oil. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for 15-20 more minutes, until the crust is browned and the pie is cooked through.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 4.

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Edamame and Grilled Corn Salad

This quick salad is fresh and full of healthy ingredients. It's perfect with Veracruz-style Tilapia grilled in foil packets - one of our favorite ways to cook fish.

We like to use the edamame without pods in the frozen vegetable section of the grocery store. I made the vinaigrette with a Mexican lime-infused olive oil that my sister gave me for Christmas. Beth and my mom visited the Queen Creek Olive Mill in Phoenix, AZ in December, and also brought me feta-stuffed green olives. I think I'm going to raid the olive jar when I'm done with this post!

If you don't have any Mexican lime-infused olive oil handy, try 1 tbsp of lime juice and plain olive oil - or mix in whatever flavor you do have. This salad recipe is very flexible.

Ingredients

3 ears corn
12 oz. frozen edamame
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup red bell pepper

For the Vinaigrette

1/4 cup lime olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cracked black pepper
2 tsp salt

Directions

Heat the grill to medium. Shuck the corn and brush with a little oil. Grill on all sides, turning frequently, for about 10 minutes, until the corn is barely cooked and lightly browned. Allow to cool, then cut the kernels from the cob.

Steam the edamame in the microwave or on the stove until tender, about 15 minutes. Rinse with cold water to chill, then let it drain thoroughly. Stir in the corn, pepper, and onion. Shake together the vinagrette ingredients and pour over the salad. Let it chill for at least an hour before serving so that the flavors blend together well.

Serves 4-6.

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Braised Fava Beans with Pancetta (Stufato di Fave, Stufato di Baccelli)

If we were in Italy right now, chances are we'd find a dish of fresh young fava beans braised with pancetta, broth, and tomato on our dinner table. This is a classic early summer dish that's just popping with flavor. It also works well with butter beans or limas.

For a few weeks now, I have been seeing fresh fava beans in the pod at our local grocery store but didn't have a craving or a specific recipe in mind. Then the other day, I saw a large heel of cured pancetta (half a pound!) in the reduced section of our deli. The price was irresistible, and I began thinking of braised fava beans.

But when I went back to the store with the beans, not a single fresh fava was found. I bought a frozen package, finally, since I wasn't going to give up my stewed bean craving that easily. The shelled frozen beans tend to be more mature, so I blanched them and slipped them out of their skins so they'd be tender. Fantastic.

Ingredients

1 pound fresh shelled fava beans, or 20 oz. frozen favas
1 tbsp olive oil
4 oz pancetta, finely chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
ground pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup water

Directions

If using frozen fava beans, boil a small pot of water. When it reaches a boil, put in the beans and cook for 1 minute. Soak the beans in ice water for one minute, then peel off the outer skins. I found it easiest to pull off the dark stripe at the top; the rest of the skin comes right off with that strip.

Heat the oil in a medium frying pan, then cook the pancetta and onion until soft and slightly browned. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened.

Serves 4 as a side dish, or 2 as a main meal.

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5 Fabulous Meatless Meals

The Hungry Lovers have been looking for meatless Monday inspiration, especially since we're in the glorious days of summer garden bounty. This summer in particular, the produce seems more abundant and luscious than many years. This is a perfect time of year to explore new vegetarian meals.

I've rounded up some tasty meat-free meals for you to try, from some food sites we enjoy reading. If you'd like, please share with us your favorite meatless dishes, too. We always love trying something new.

Capasso Kitchen, Broccoli with carrots and cashews. We love a stir fry. We REALLY love cashews.

Honey B's and Birch Trees, Spicy Black Bean Burgers. "Spicy" and "Black Bean". Two of our favorite food words.

Bon Appetempt, Almond Tofu with Snap Peas and Soba Noodles. I bet this is fabulous with peanut butter, too.

The Reluctant Bean, Barbecue Lentil Sandwiches. You know they're good when teenagers are wolfing them down.

LaaLoosh, Lemon Spinach Chickpea Pasta. Laaloosh creates dependably awesome recipes that are healthy and Weight Watchers-friendly. 

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Paella (Saffron Rice with Chicken and Seafood)

Joe and I have talked about making this signature dish from Spain for a long time, but paella always seemed so daunting. I mean, the list of ingredients is huge, and the explanations for preparing all the seafood seemed like too much bother. And then there's the special paella pan, a wide shallow skillet that traditionally Spaniards used over an open fire.

Our Spain/Portugal cookbook has two pages of directions for this recipe, but it also told us we were overthinking the whole dish. At its heart, the recipe for paella is basically a rice stew with seafood, vegetables, and meat, and cooks probably threw in whatever they had at home or whatever was fresh or on sale. The cookbook has a photo of a family cooking this over a little bonfire in a park, and then eating it straight out of the pan.

So here's our recipe. I'm not going to get all Julia Child on you and describe how to cook a live lobster or scrub the beards off mussels. Choose the things you like or look good at the store, then be sure to savor each one of the flavors and scents as you cook the stew - it really is an experience! Next time you make it, the mix will probably be completely different.

P.S. This makes a big pot of paella. It's perfect for a bunch of friends. If you get each of them to chop one ingredient, it will all come together quickly.

Ingredients

2 lbs meat: cut-up chicken pieces, serrano ham, hard garlicky sausage such as andouille, salami or Spanish chorizo, bacon, boneless pork

2 lbs. seafood: raw shrimp, lobster, clams, mussels, snails, crawfish, calamari, crab claws, and cubes of firm-fleshed fish

4 cups vegetables: peas, sweet pepper strips, hot peppers, garlic, chopped onion, chopped tomatoes, and green beans

1/2 cup olive oil, divided
1 tsp ground saffron or turmeric
1 tbsp hot paprika
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 bay leaves, crumbled
6 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups short-grain Spanish rice
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a big, shallow pan, brown the fresh meat in half the oil, then set aside on a warm platter. Saute the vegetables in the remaining oil. Prepare the shellfish as needed, then add to the sauteing vegetables. Cook 3 minutes, then remove all to the platter with the chicken; keep warm.

Heat the broth with the wine, saffron and paprika. Bring to a boil, then keep it hot until ready to use. Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Saute the rice with the remainder of the oil so that it's coated and slightly browned. Pour in the broth, bay leaves, and parsley. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, then add the vegetables, meat, and seafood, pressing the large pieces into the rice.

Place the skillet in a 325 degree oven, uncovered, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover with foil, and let sit for 10 minutes or so, until the rice absorbs all the liquid and is fluffy and tender. Squeeze the lemon wedges over the rice before serving.

Serves 6-8.

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Brazilian-Style Collard Greens

I confess I don't know much at all about Southern Cooking - I'm about as Yankee as you can get. Like most Midwesterners about my age, we ate green leafy things in two ways - as boiled spinach in gloppy slimy wads, and as green salads, mostly full of iceberg lettuce or maybe a shredded cabbage coleslaw.

Collard greens definitely looked like the slimy blobs of spinach I never wanted to eat again, but hey, millions of southern Americans must be on to something, right?

Last year, Joe and I were exploring the Chicago History Museum in Lincoln Park, and just a few blocks away was a soul food restaurant with a yummy emphasis on Creole/Cajun dishes. Oh heck yeah, we were there. 

Epiphany Restaurant is not a fancy place, and the service is notoriously slow. The best way to enjoy the place is to order a bottle of wine when you sit down, and go there on a night when you've been busy all week and have a lot of catching up to do with your partner or friends. You'll be enjoying things in long, slow Cajun courses.

We loved the etouffee, fried oysters, and dirty rice, but the Brazilian-style collard greens were much more than we expected. These weren't clots of gooey greens - these were bright green leaves full of saucy flavor and a zing of orange zest. Healthy, too!  We went home, harvested the last of the summer greens from our garden, and got to work re-creating this dish.

Ingredients

3 slices bacon
2 pounds collard greens (2 to 3 large bunches)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely diced red pepper
1 1/2 tsp orange zest
1/4 cup strong chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Fry the bacon in a large, wide skillet until crisp. Let the bacon drain on paper towels, and then chop it well. Leave the bacon grease in the pan.

Rinse off the collard greens. Remove the largest stems, then gather bunches of the leaves together and roll them up into a bundle. Thinly slice the bundles crosswise, cutting the leaves into very thin strips.

Heat up the bacon grease and add the garlic and red pepper. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are just golden and fragrant. Add the greens and toss for about 3 minutes, until they are bright green and softened. Stir in the chicken broth, then sprinkle on the salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Serve 4-6.

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